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FROM    FORECASTLE   TO  ACADEMY 


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LARS    GUSTAF    SELLSTEDT 

NATIONAL    ACADEMY,    1872 


FROM   FORECASTLE 
TO  ACADEMY 


SAILOR    AND    ARTIST 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 

BY 

LARS    GUSTAF   SELLSTEDT,  N.  A. 


BUFFALO 

THE    MATTHEWS-NORTHRUP   WORKS 

1904 


Copyright,    1904,    by 
L.    G.    SELLSTEDT 


BY  THE  Matthews-North Rup  Works 


.•V 


I  DEDICATE  THESE  MEMOIRS  TO  MY  WIFE,  WHO 
HAS  MADE  THE  NOON  AND  EVENING  OF  MY  LIFE 
REPLETE  WITH  SOCIAL  HAPPINESS;  TO  MY  LOVELY 
DAUGHTER  AND  HER  BOYS  OF  HAPPY  PROMISE, 
WHOSE  MANHOOD,  I  TRUST,  WILL  HONOR  THEIR 
PARENTAGE;  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  DR.  WILLIAM 
KENNEDY  SCOTT,  MY  SECOND  FATHER;  AND, 
LASTLY,  TO  THAT  OF  MY  MOTHER,  TO  WHOSE 
TEACHINGS  AND  INFLUENCE  I  CAN  TRACE  WHAT- 
EVER   OF    GOOD    THERE    MAY    HAVE    BEEN   IN   ME. 


Y^l/^WHl.l    1  \O)\0\'ikV' 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  — PARENTAGE  AND  ENVIRONMENT 17 

II  — BIRTH  AND  EDUCATION 23 

III  — I  GO  TO  SEA 43 

IV  — ALEXANDRIA 49 

V  — LEGHORN,  RIGA,  AND  HOME 59 

VI  — EXPATRIATION 69 

VII  — THE  UNITED  STATES 76 

VIII— ADRIFT 91 

IX  — ON    A    PILOT    BOAT,    HAITI,    PORT    AU    PRINCE, 

TRINIDAD  DE  CUBA,  PERNAMBUCO 98 

X  — THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 108 

XI  — AT  PERNAMBUCO  AND  RIO  DE  JANEIRO  ....  123 

XII  — MAN-OF-WAR  LIFE 131 

XIII  — MAN-OF-WAR  LIFE  ON  PACIFIC  COAST      ....   146 

XIV  — CONTINUED  MAN-OF-WAR  EXPERIENCE    ....   166 
XV  — THE  ''CONSTITUTION,"  END  OF  CRUISE  .     .     .     .173 

XVI  — HOMEWARD  BOUND 183 

XVII  — TO  EUROPE  AND  RETURN      .     .     . 192 

XVIII  — IN  BUFFALO  IN  1842,  AGED  TWENTY-THREE    .     .  204 

XIX  — SAILINGS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 216 

XX  — EXPERIMENTS  IN  HYPNOTISM 228 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXI  —  EXPERIENCES  ABOARD  AND  ASHORE    ....  237 
XXII  — SAIL  FOR  HAVANA,  END  OF  SAILOR  LIFE      .     .  244 

XXIII  — EXPERIENCES  AS  A  MEDICAL  STUDENT     ...  260 

XXIV  — DIFFICULTIES  OF  AN  ARTIST'S  CAREER     .     .     .269 
XXV  — MARRIAGE,  BEREAVEMENT,  GO  ABROAD  .     .     .281 

XXVI  — RESUME  WORK,  SECOND  MARRIAGE       ....  298 
XXVII  — FROM  MY  FORTY-FIFTH  TO  FIFTY-SIXTH  YEAR  310 

XXVIII  — ACADEMICIAN,  TRAVELS  IN  EUROPE 314 

XXIX  — REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CITIZENS     ....  329 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

MADE   FROM    MR.    SELLSTEDT'S    PAINTINGS 
BY  DIRECT  PHOTOGRAPHIC  PROCESS 

IN  COLOR  FACSIMILE 

MY  PORTRAIT frontispiece 

Painted  for  the  National  Academy  and  Exhibited  in 
1872 

PORTRAIT  OF  MY  MOTHER 24 

MY  FIRST  SHIP 54 

PORTRAIT  OF  DR.  W.  K.  SCOTT 158 

CHIEF  CONJOCKITY 210 

MARBLEHEAD  ROCKS       . 258 

A  SKETCH  FROM  MY  HOME  PORCH 258 

PORTRAIT  OF  MR.  WILLIAM  H.  BEARD,  N.  A.    .     .     .  282 

A  WINTER'S  DAY  AT  MARBLEHEAD 316 

FROM  MY  WINDOW  IN  VENICE 326 

REPRODUCTIONS  IN  MONOTONE 

FRIGATE  BY  MOONLIGHT 54 

THE  RABBI 102 

REEFING  OFF  CAPE  HORN 184 

A  STORM  OFF  BERMUDA 184 

MY  PORTRAIT,   1859 300 

PORTRAIT  OF  MY  WIFE,  1856       .306 

THE  SEVEN 332 


PREFACE 

The  earlier  parts  of  these  memoirs  were  written  many- 
years  ago,  long  before  age  had  dulled  the  impressions  on 
my  brain.  Besides  the  pleasure  I  found  in,  so  to  speak, 
living  over  the  days  of  my  most  youthful  activity,  it 
seemed  a  duty  to  my  family  to  leave  behind  me  a  record 
of  the  principal  events  of  my  life.  I  had  no  idea  then 
that  they  possibly  might  be  published,  if  at  all,  while  I 
was  living,  though  I  may  have  harbored  a  secret  hope 
that  after  my  death  a  readable  book  could  be  made  out 
of  the  crude  materials.  Years  rolled  on,  and  before  I 
realized  it  I  found  myself  an  old  man,  though  still  in  good 
health  and  mental  vigor. 

Many  of  my  friends  to  whom  I  had  told  parts  of  my 
history  had  repeatedly  urged  me  to  write  my  life;  few 
of  them  knew  that  most  of  it  was  already  written.  In 
time  the  idea  of  posthumous  publication  grew  fainter; 
since  giving  one's  self  away  in  autobiographies  had  be- 
come the  vogue,  it  began  to  occur  to  me  that  I,  too,  might 
as  well  give  personal  attention  to  my  own  story. 

But  what  seemed  to  me  a  serious  difficulty  arose:  I 
could  not,  as  I  desired,  give  expression  to  the  grateful 
acknowledgment  which  I  felt  due  to  all  the  loving  friends 
that  had  helped  to  make  me  what  I  was,  and  to  whose 
beneficent  encouragement  and  companionship  so  much 
of  the  formation  of  my  character  and  social  success  was 
due,  without  far  exceeding  the  limits  of  a  book  which 

XIII 


PREFACE 

had  for  its  purpose  the  exhibition  of  a  life  void  of  other 
influence  than  that  which  any  life  of  moral  and  intel- 
lectual trend  deeply  in  love  with  art  and  kindred  pursuits 
may  radiate. 

I  found,  too,  in  talking  it  over  with  some  friends,  that 
it  was  expected  that  in  some  degree  the  social  history 
of  Buffalo  was  to  be  enriched  by  my  narrations;  but, 
although  during  my  sixty  years'  residence  I  had  seen 
Buffalo  rise  from  what,  as  we  now  view  things,  was 
scarcely  more  than  a  citified  village  to  the  dignity  of  a 
first-class  city,  and  a  prominent  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing center  of  the  country  —  from  a  population  of 
scarcely  20,000  to  that  of  half  a  million  —  my  position 
and  bare-handed  struggles  gave  small  opportunity  and 
less  desire  for  social  functions  and  critical  observation. 

It  is  true  that  during  the  latter  moiety  of  my  life 
chances  for  "  taking  notes  "  have  not  been  lacking,  but 
devotion  to  ART  leaves  little  time  or  inclination  for  pur- 
suits outside  of  the  range  of  her  requirements.  The  cult 
she  demands  is  hard  work  and  much  self-denial ;  but  she 
gives  compensation  in  the  pleasure  of  every  stroke  of  the 
brush,  especially  if  success  attends  it.  In  the  picturesque 
confusion  of  his  beloved  studio,  surrounded  by  the  tools 
of  his  profession,  his  walls  encumbered  with  ineffectual 
attempts  to  give  visible  form  to  his  imagination,  or  hasty 
records  of  Nature's  protean  beauties,  the  painter  lives  in 
happy  contentment  while  he  has  the  means  to  meet  his 
simple  requirements;  nay,  he  may  even,  in  the  joy  of  a 
successful  interpretation  of  Nature,  for  the  time,  forget 
both  cook  and  iterating  landlord. 

In   the   following  pages   there   will   be   found   many 

XIV 


PREFACE 

names  of  friends  whose  precious  personalities  were  so 
woven  into  the  web  of  my  own  life  that  they  could  not  be 
omitted ;  but  others  there  were,  less  immediately  in  touch 
with  it,  whose  claim  upon  my  gratitude  deserved  no  less 
"  the  honorable  mention." 

To  avoid  a  situation  which  might  be  thought  invidious 
I  had  almost  concluded  to  end  my  tale  with  my  admis- 
sion to  the  National  Academy  of  Design,  as  indeed  the 
title  of  the  book  implies.  It  will  be  seen  that  this  idea 
was  abandoned  for  reasons  stated,  and  a  subsequent  con- 
versation with  Mr.  James  N.  Johnston,  a  well-known 
gentleman  of  culture  and  acumen,  confirmed  me  in  the 
propriety  of  giving  vent  to  my  feelings  in  closing  with  a 
few  tributary  sketches  of  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
public  gentlemen  to  whom,  during  the  latter  part  of  my 
life,  I  had  been  particularly  bound. 

Buffalo,  July  20,  1904. 


XV 


PARENTAGE  AND  ENVIRONMENT 

THE  use  of  patronymics  is,  as  is  well  known,  of 
comparatively  recent  origin.  In  cities  or  in  large 
towns  surnames  became  a  necessity  for  identifi- 
cation, which  did  not  obtain  in  sparsely-settled  communi- 
ties, such  as  feudal  tenantries,  hamlets,  or  farms.  The 
Oriental  Beth,  the  Mac  of  Scotland,  the  Gothic  "  son," 
are  vestiges  of  the  tribal  or  nomadic  lives  of  our  fore- 
fathers. Even  the  great  feudal  barons  of  medieval  fame 
were  generally  known  by  the  names  of  their  castles,  their 
demesnes,  or  the  devices  on  their  shields.  The  names  of 
Frangipani,  Medici,  and  other  well-known  Italian  families 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  among  the  descendants  of 
ancient  Rome  traits  and  occupations  were  proudly  remem- 
bered. Even  to-day  in  Scandinavian  countries,  among 
the  tillers  of  the  soil,  surnames  are  not  universal ;  in  my 
boyhood  they  were  uncommon,  and  when  my  grandfather 
was  born,  near  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  they 
were  almost  unknown. 

To  this  ancient  custom  the  family  of  my  forefathers 
was  no  exception,  and  thus  it  came  to  pass  that  my  grand- 
father was  the  first  to  bear  the  name  of  Sellstedt.  My 
own  rather  stunted  genealogical  tree  may,  therefore,  with 
propriety  be  considered  to  have  sprung  from  this  shoot. 

My  grandfather  was  the  youngest  child  of  a  struggling 
proprietor  of  a  few  rocky  acres  some  eight  or  ten  miles 
from  the  small  but  flourishing  city  of  Sundsvall,  and 
thither,  when  the  time  came  to  shift  for  himself,  he 
naturally  bent  his  steps  in  search  of  employment.    This 

17 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

he  immediately  found  in  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Bill,  a  fuller 
and  dyer,  or  clothier. 

This  business  took  high  rank  in  the  guilds  of  the 
city.  Its  proprietors  were  dignified  with  the  title  of 
"Fabriqueur  "  and  in  society  stood  on  equal  footing  with 
judges,  lawyers,  clergymen,  officers  of  government,  gold- 
smiths, and  rich  tanners.  It  was,  when  well  conducted, 
a  profitable  business,  as  at  the  time  of  my  childhood  all 
the  products  of  the  farmers'  spinning  wheels  and  looms 
for  more  than  fifty  miles  around  must  come  to  the  city 
to  be  dyed,  fulled,  and  finished  for  family  use  or  the 
country  tailor. 

It  was  the  custom  among  tradespeople  to  visit  all  the 
fairs,  or  markets  as  they  were  called,  which  were  held  at 
appointed  times  in  the  various  provinces,  where  profitable 
trading  might  be  had  buying  and  selling  from  and  to  the 
peasantry;  and  thither,  too,  the  clothiers  would  resort 
with  their  finished  cloths,  bringing  back  the  crude  fabrics 
of  the  farmers  who  lived  at  great  distances  from  town. 

My  grandfather's  first  employment  was  that  of  a  man- 
of-all-work;  but  after  a  year's  service  in  this  capacity  he 
was  permitted  to  become  apprenticed  to  the  business. 

He  thus  became  a  permanent  member  of  the  family, 
served  his  time  out,  and  in  the  end  succeeded  in  winning 
the  love  of  the  only  daughter  and  heiress,  whom  he  mar- 
ried, thus  becoming  the  head  of  the  concern. 

There  were  two  establishments  of  the  same  nature 
whose  original  owners  were  brothers,  separate  in  plants 
and  interests,  rivals  in  fact.  They  had  separate  houses, 
barns,  and  offices,  though  the  land  on  which  these  stood 
seemed  common  property,  at  least  I  never  knew  of  a  divid- 
ing line.  Each  had,  however,  its  own  inclosed  flower  gar- 
den near  his  house.  That  of  our  neighbor  stood  on  a  rising 
ground,  while  ours  was  situated  on  the  level  below.  The 
dwelling  houses,  and  the  various  necessary  buildings, 
such  as  storehouses,  press,  brewing  houses,  and  quarters 

i8 


PARENTAGE  AND  ENVIRONMENT 

for  the  employees,  surrounded  the  common  yard,  a  grassy 
square  prominent  in  my  memory  as  the  ordinary  play- 
ground a^id  battlefield  of  my  cousin  Otto  and  myself. 
Behind  these  buildings,  on  the  side  opposite  to  the  houses, 
was  a  large  vegetable  garden,  also  common  property, 
though  divided  by  some  imaginary  line,  so  that  each 
family  knew  its  own  gooseberry  and  currant  bushes, 
pease,  cabbages,  turnips,  carrots,  etc. 

The  dye-houses  occupied  the  river  bank,  a  part  of 
which  was  used  for  a  flower  garden,  supported  by  piles, 
in  front  of  our  own  house,  and  which  I  remember  with 
special  pleasure  as  the  place  where  many  happy  hours  of 
my  childhood  were  spent. 

Gronborg,  the  name  by  which  the  whole  domain  was 
commonly  known,  was  triangular  in  form,  one  side  of  it 
running  along  the  highroad  leading  to  the  principal  street 
of  the  city,  and  by  a  gentle  slope  descended  to  the  river, 
which  it  crossed  by  a  well-built  wooden  bridge  with  three 
arches.  Our  neighbor's  house  and  flower  garden  fronted 
this  road.  The  river  side,  along  which  our  house  and 
garden,  the  dye  works  of  both  houses,  woodsheds,  etc., 
were  situated,  terminated  not  far  from  the  mouth  of  a 
considerable  brook  which  joined  the  river. 

This  brook,  and  a  highway  by  its  side,  bounded  the 
premises  on  what  might  be  called  the  hypothenuse  of  the 
triangle ;  it  was  crossed  by  a  small  bridge  near  its  junction 
with  the  main  stream,  along  the  bank  of  which  it  was  con- 
tinued far  into  the  country. 

Beyond  this  brook  were  cultivated  fields,  belonging  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and  here  a  wolf-trap  had  been 
constructed.  These  animals  were  no  strangers  to  our 
town.  In  summer  they  were  never  known  to  show  them- 
selves near  human  habitations,  but  in  severe  winters  they 
became  troublesome.  They  were  known  to  pass  through 
our  yard  at  times,  and  indeed  I  found  the  skin  and  part  of 
the  carcass  of  my  own  favorite  dog  on  the  ice  not  more 

19 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

than  fifty  rods  from  our  house,  where  it  had  been  killed  in 
a  fight  with  a  pack  of  them.  I  do  not  recall  more  than 
one  successful  attempt  to  capture  a  wolf  in  the  manner 
described  below,  but  this  achievement  left  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  my  memory.  In  a  neighboring  field  a  large  and 
deep  pit  had  been  dug  and  faced  with  upright  boards.  In 
the  center  a  pole  reaching  to  the  top  had  been  raised,  on 
which  a  small  round  platform  had  been  securely  fastened, 
spruce  twigs  were  laid  from  this  to  the  periphery,  on  these 
twigs  straw  was  scattered,  and  all  covered  with  snow.  A 
small  dog  had  previously  been  chained  to  the  center,  and 
a  good  fall  of  snow  had  completely  hidden  all.  In  the 
morning,  a  large  wolf  was  discovered  at  the  bottom.  The 
news  spread  quickly  through  the  town ;  a  crowd  of  people 
soon  gathered  round  the  pit,  eager  to  get  a  look  at  the 
captive,  and  one  of  them,  a  well-known  farrier,  lost  his 
footing  and  fell  in,  luckily,  on  the  side  opposite  to  the 
crouching  beast.  It  has  never  been  put  on  record  which 
of  the  two  occupants  of  this  undesirable  resting  place  was 
the  most  frightened,  but  it  is  said  that  the  intruder  was 
surprised  into  an  exclamation,  the  only  equivalent  of 
which  in  American  English  I  can  think  of  is  "  Holy 
Moses !"  or  "Jerusalem  !"*  A  ladder  was  procured  and 
you  may  be  sure  the  worthy  man  lost  no  time  in  parting 
company  with  his  neighbor,  whom  it  became  necessary 
to  shoot,  as  no  way  could  be  contrived  to  get  him  out 
alive.  It  was  a  great  satisfaction,  not  unmixed  with  pride, 
that  my  own  coaster,  a  fine  and  strongly-made  sledge,  on 
which  six  boys  could  ride,  was  selected  to  carry  the  dead 
beast  for  exhibition  all  over  the  city. 

Our  out-door  amusements  in  winter  were  such  as  are 
common  to  all  cold  countries  when  snow  and  ice  are 
abundant.  Coasting  was  most  common,  since  hills  were 
plenty,  but  with  us  this  was  done  sitting  and  steering  with 


Tagmigtusan.*' 

20 


PARENTAGE    AND    ENVIRONMENT 

the  feet  stretched  out  forward,  and  if  more  than  one  boy- 
was  on,  the  guiding  was  the  business  of  him  who  sat 
behind.  Skids*  were  also  much  in  vogue,  but  with  these 
I  never  became  an  expert,  as  I  never  owned  a  pair. 
Skating  was  nearly  always  to  be  had,  and  better  ground 
for  this  enjoyment  can  scarcely  be  imagined,  since  not 
only  did  we  have  the  river  but  also  the  whole  harbor, 
the  only  limit  being  the  open  sea,  and  as  the  ice  was 
always  sufficiently  thick  at  the  very  edge  most  of  our 
pleasure  lay  in  running  as  near  it  as  possible. 

My  evenings  were  generally  spent  in  learning  the 
lessons  for  the  next  day.  Supper  was  served  at  8.30  or 
thereabouts,  and  invariably  consisted  of  barley  mush  and 
milk,  except  when  we  had  company,  when  all  rules  of 
economy  were  in  abeyance.  Bedtime  came  ordinarily  be- 
tween 9  and  10  o'clock. 

My  native  city,  though  small,  was  of  considerable  im- 
portance as  a  port,  a  very  large  share  of  the  lumber 
exported  to  foreign  countries  from  Sweden  being  shipped 
here  or  within  its  environs,  it  being  conveniently  situated 
between  the  estuaries  of  two  large  adjacent  rivers. 

The  retail  merchants,  who  were  very  numerous,  lived 
in  rooms  adjoining  or  over  their  stores.  The  business 
part  of  the  place  rambled  along  the  turns  and  bends  of 
the  river,  whose  banks  were  covered  with  warehouses, 
tanneries,  and  even  dwellings,  interspersed  with  pretty 
gardens  where  no  other  accommodation  was  needed. 
The  river  debouched  into  a  large  bay,  protected  by  quite 
an  archipelago  of  fir-covered  granite  islets.  This  made  a 
fine  and  spacious  harbor,  where  in  summer  a  large  fleet 
of  merchant  ships  rode  at  anchor,  mostly  Norwegian  and 
Swedish,  though  occasionally  the  flags  of  other  nations 
were  visible.  If  I  add  that  the  houses  were  all  built  of 
hewn  mortised  logs,  with  vertical  clapboarding,  one  or 


*  Pronounced  skeed. 


FROM    FORECASTLE    TO    ACADEMY 

two  stories  in  height,  painted  red,  yellow,  or  white,  roofed 
with  red  tiles  —  that  the  town-house  was  a  two-story 
building,  with  the  jail  in  the  backyard  and  the  public 
school  in  one  of  the  wings  —  that  it  fronted  a  large  square 
where  boys  snow-balled,  thieves  were  whipped,  and  fairs 
were  held  in  summer  —  that  near  by  was  a  stagnant  pond, 
said  to  be  bottomless,  though  now  built  up,  and  by  a  gen- 
erous lady  converted  into  a  most  lovely  little  park  and 
given  to  the  city  —  that  the  city  boasted  a  fine  stone 
church  with  a  good  organ,  a  fine  altarpiece  after  or  per- 
haps in  imitation  of  Reubens,  a  copy  of  Perugino's  bap- 
tism of  Christ,  a  fine  clock  that  struck  the  quarters,  and 
three  large  and  very  fine  bells  in  its  tower  —  I  have  said 
all  I  deem  necessary  of  my  native  Sundsvall  as  it  was  in 
my  childhood. 

My  grandfather  having,  on  the  death  of  my  grand- 
mother's father,  succeeded  to  the  business,  became  very 
successful,  so  much  so,  that  at  the  age  of  forty  he  was  for 
his  time  and  place  regarded  as  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
of  the  town,  and  at  fifty  was  a  councillor  in  the  city  gov- 
ernment and  none  more  highly  esteemed.  My  father  and 
mother  were  married  in  1818.  My  mother  was  a  clergy- 
man's daughter  and  orphan.  I  remember  my  father 
as  rather  tall,  with  noble  features,  a  high  and  clear  fore- 
head, nose  slightly  Roman  of  medium  size  but  well 
formed,  blue  eyes,  a  rather  small  mouth  with  a  pleasant 
smile,  and  a  profusion  of  light  brown  hair  with  a  decided 
inclination  to  curl.  My  mother  was  not  beautiful,  but  her 
sprightly  and  attractive  manners  and  jovial  disposition 
made  her  immensely  popular  with  all. 


22 


II 

BIRTH  AND  EDUCATION 

ON  April  30,  1819,  I  was  born.  I  was  a  stout  and 
healthy  child  and  my  romantic  mother  conceived 
the  idea  of  making  me  a  pattern  for  all  children, 
body  and  soul.  To  this  end  my  infant  ablutions  were 
performed  in  cold  water,  with  Spartan  firmness,  to  harden 
the  body;  other  hygienic  means  were  resorted  to  also, 
which,  if  they  did  not  strengthen  and  harden,  proved  at 
least  that  I  was  pretty  tough  to  begin  with,  for  I  survived 
them  all.  Neither  was  my  soul's  education  neglected.  It 
commenced  very  early,  and  the  entrance  to  the  "  little 
man  within  "  was  generally  effected  through  the  skin  of 
that  part  of  my  body  that  presented  the  most  inviting 
surface  for  the  application  of  the  birch ;  in  passing,  I  may 
say  that  birch  here  is  not  a  figure  of  speech,  which  may 
stand  for  any  instrument  of  torture  you  can  lay  your  hand 
on  —  far  from  it,  for  there  was  always  at  hand  in  the 
nursery,  the  trysting  place  between  my  mother  and  me, 
a  nicely-tied  rod  compounded  of  six  or  eight  slender  and 
supple  twigs  of  birch,  and  this  effective  moral  agent  was 
far  from  idle. 

However,  I  owe  it  to  my  mother's  memory  to  admit 
that,  though  sometimes  unnecessarily  severe,  judging  by 
the  educational  methods  of  the  present  time,  her  actions 
were  always  in  line  with  her  conscientious  ideas  of  duty; 
and,  besides,  it  was  an  age  when  King  Solomon  was  still 
held  up  as  a  model  of  wisdom. 

Notwithstanding  her  uncompromising  code  of  right 
and  wrong,  even  in  the  smallest  matters,  I  loved  her  in- 

23 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

tensely.  She  was  of  a  kind  disposition,  benevolent, 
hospitable,  and  deeply  pious,  nor  was  her  piety  at  all 
gloomy ;  in  her  younger  days  she  greatly  loved  all  inno- 
cent amusements,  was  a  member  of  an  amateur  theatrical 
club,  where  her  fine  voice  in  ballad  singing  was  highly 
esteemed ;  she  also  played  boston  and  whist,  danced,  read 
novels,  and,  in  short,  enjoyed  life  in  every  way  conform- 
able to  respectable  society. 

My  father  was  a  worldly  but  good-natured  man,  whose 
principal  amusement  was  fishing,  and  through  which 
practice,  in  fact,  he  was  supposed  to  have  shortened  his 
days,  by  taking  a  cold  which  affected  his  lungs  and  paved 
a  way  for  early  death. 

When  I  was  three  years  of  age  my  education  com- 
menced. I  well  remember  the  fat  old  lady  that  taught 
me  my  ABC.  Her  name  was  Fisher.  I  was  so  small 
that  I  had  to  stand  on  a  stool  beside  the  table  when  saying 
my  letters  out  of  an  old  dog-eared  horn-book,  the  frontis- 
piece of  which  represented  a  full-page  rooster  who  was 
supposed  to  lay  goodies  for  diligent  scholars.  At  about 
the  age  of  five  I  was  transferred  to  a  so-called  Lancastrian 
school.  This  was  held  in  a  large  room  over  the  city  poor- 
house,  and  was  conducted  by  a  learned  hatmaker.  I  do 
not  vouch  for  the  correctness  of  my  adjective,  but  I  am 
sure  that  he  wrote  an  excellent  hand  and  that  nearly  all 
his  pupils  became  good  penmen.  Here  I  learned  to  write, 
and  as  I  have  never  since  witnessed  the  process  by  which 
my  first  ideas  of  written  letters  was  formed,  I  will  describe 
it.  The  boys  sat  in  a  row  before  a  sort  of  prolonged  desk 
or,  rather,  shallow  continuous  box  containing  fine  white 
sand ;  this  was  made  smooth  by  passing  a  piece  of  board, 
to  which  was  attached  a  handle,  over  it,  and  then  each  boy 
with  a  turned  pin  some  six  or  eight  inches  in  length  copied 
from  a  blackboard  the  letters  written  in  chalk  upon  it. 
There  were  several  advantages  in  this  process,  as  the 
letter  formed  was  colossal,  say  six  inches  high,  and  thus 

24 


MY    MOTHER 
PAINTED    IN    1854 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

its  form  was  more  readily  impressed  upon  the  memory, 
another  advantage  was  that  it  was  done  sitting  upright; 
and,  lastly,  it  was  a  cheap  process  —  the  same  sand  and 
pins  doing  duty  for  any  length  of  time.  I  suppose  the 
Lancastrian  system  is  well  known  to  many  at  the  present 
day,  but  I  fear  the  time  will  soon  come  when  the  body  of 
the  last  Lancastrian  scholar  shall  have  returned  to  its 
dust.  I  will,  therefore,  sketch  the  essential  characteristics 
of  the  system  as  exhibited  in  our  school.  Large  printed 
cards  were  hung  on  the  walls  of  the  room ;  on  these  were 
lessons  in  A  B  C,  spelling,  and  arithmetic.  Classes  were 
conducted  by  so-called  monitors.  These  were  not  regular 
teachers,  but  advanced  scholars,  who  by  diligence  and 
good  behavior  were  invested  with  the  badge  of  office,  a 
pointing  rod,  thus  becoming  teachers,  pro  tempore,  of 
classes  lower  in  grade.  So  far  as  I  remember,  this 
method  worked  well,  and  I  cannot  conceive  a  greater  in- 
centive to  good  behavior  in  school.  One  day  I  was  called 
up  before  the  master,  trembling  lest  some  forgotten  fault 
was  to  be  atoned  for,  when  to  my  surprise  and  infinite 
gratification  the  monitor's  stick  was  handed  me  with 
direction  to  hear  a  class  in  A  B  C.  Imagine  a  monitor 
not  six  years  of  age ! 

While  in  this  school  I  learned  to  write;  how  far  I 
was  advanced  in  spelling  and  arithmetic  I  am  at  this 
remote  period  unable  to  say,  but  certain  am  I  that  I 
learned  to  write  a  good  hand.  About  this  time  I  had  a 
narrow  escape  from  a  violent  death.  It  was  winter  and 
we  were  out  in  the  street  at  recess,  when  I  espied  my 
father's  horse  and  sleigh  going  by,  driven  by  our  hostler. 
I  rushed  forth,  intending  to  claim  a  ride,  but  stumbled 
and  fell  directly  in  front  of  the  horse,  which  harmlessly 
passed  over  me,  and  I  found  myself  behind  the  vehicle, 
none  the  worse  for  wear,  though  badly  scared. 

In  1825,  being  six  years  old,  I  was  sent  to  a  clergy- 
man who  took  private  pupils,  to  commence  the  study  of 

25 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  Latin  grammar.  I  remember  while  in  this  school 
hearing  the  origin  of  man  discussed  among  the  boys. 
About  this  time  some  of  them  had  become  acquainted 
with  the  scientific  statement  then  new,  "omnis  ab  ovo," 
and  I  no  longer  believed  that  babies  dropped  from  the 
sky  or  that  an  old  woman  brought  them. 

My  playmate  Otto,  who  had  not  been  p'ushed  in  his 
education  to  the  same  extent  as  myself,  was  about  this 
time  to  be  sent  to  a  woman's  school  for  his  rudiments; 
but  disliking  to  go  without  me,  I  consented  to  accompany 
him.  I  am  sure  I  learned  nothing  there,  but  it  is  the 
only  part  of  my  school-life  which  I  remember  with 
pleasure.  The  teacher  was  a  nice  little  old  maid  of 
gentle  disposition,  whose  cozy  little  parlor  was  redolent 
of  growing  plants,  and  I  never  catch  the  scent  of 
geranium  or  mignonette  even  to  this  day  without  a 
pleasurable  remembrance  of  it. 

In  the  summer  of  1826  I  came  nearer  death  than  I 
have  ever  been  before  or  since.  It  was  haying  time  and 
the  business  of  the  house  was  suspended,  everybody  be- 
ing wanted  to  assist  at  taking  in  hay,  for  we  owned 
several  small  farms  not  far  from  the  city.  The  house 
was,  therefore,  nearly  deserted.  My  mother  was  much 
addicted  to  weaving  and  had  her  loom  in  a  summer 
house  on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  on  the  hill.  I  was 
in  a  boat  outside  of  the  pile  work  upon  which  our  flower 
garden  was,  which  projected  over  the  river.  In  throwing 
my  fishing  line  out  I  lost  my  balance  and  fell  backward 
out  of  the  boat.  No  one  was  near,  it  was  evening,  but,  of 
course,  full  daylight,  the  sun  being  a  couple  of  hours 
high  or  more.  I  remember  distinctly  trying  to  hold  on 
to  the  keel  of  the  boat,  but  the  bottom  was  covered  with 
a  slimy  green  conferva  and  I  could  distinctly  see  the  mark 
which  my  little  hand  had  made  upon  the  bottom  of  the 
boat.  There  I  lay  for  how  long  I  know  not,  but  after 
the  struggle  to  save  myself  by  grasping  the  boat's  keel 

26 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

proved  abortive,  I  lay  still  on  my  back  with  my  eyes 
open  looking  at  the  green  light  which  shone  through  the 
water.  It  was  an  extraordinary  sensation,  painless,  nay, 
rather  pleasant,  but  the  vividness  of  my  thoughts  were 
most  extraordinary.  Of  course  I  expected  death,  but 
for  me  he  had  no  terrors.  I  could  then  rest  securely  upon 
the  mercy  of  the  Lord ;  ah !  what  faith  I  then  had !  I  had 
then  no  doubt  as  to  the  hereafter,  the  gates  of  heaven 
were  wide  open,  and  only  one  thought  gave  me  trouble ; 
this  was  of  my  mother,  for  she  would  not  know  what  had 
become  of  me.  Well,  I  was  rescued  at  last.  A  little  girl 
passing  with  her  maid  seeing  something  moving  in  the 
water,  from  the  bridge  near  by,  immediately  conjectured 
what  the  matter  was,  and  though  only  of  my  own  age 
ran  and  informed  our  nurse  that  I  was  in  the  water.  I 
was  sinking  when  help  came  and  it  became  necessary  for 
the  girl  to  reach  her  whole  arm  into  the  water  to  get 
hold  of  my  foot,  my  head  being  at  this  time  downward. 
"  Please,  Sarah,  don't  tell  mamma,"  was  all  I  said  as  I 
emerged  from  the  water,  for  I  feared  that  my  permission 
to  go  fishing  would  be  curtailed.  After  I  was  fairly  on 
land  I  became  insensible,  and  remember  nothing  till  the 
whole  family  was  standing  around  grandfather's  bed, 
whereon  I  had  been  laid.  The  strangest  thing  about  it 
was  that  my  mother  declared  that  she  heard  me  cry 
"  Mamma !"  "  Mamma !"  several  times,  and  that  she 
stopped  her  loom  to  listen.  Of  course  this  was  not  an 
audible  voice,  for  I  could  not  have  cried  out  if  I  would, 
and  if  I  had  cried  out  lustily  she  was  too  far  away  to  have 
heard  me.  Was  it  presentiment  or  was  it  merely  imagina- 
tion, or,  rather,  was  it  my  soul  striving  to  communicate 
with  hers?    Was  it  "  telepathy  "  ? 

This  event  produced  a  strong  impression  upon  me. 
The  memory  of  it  is  made  more  distinct  by  the  fact  that 
it  was  the  second  mishap  that  I  experienced  on  the  same 
day,  having  in  the  morning  torn  my  new  coat  to  pieces 

27 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

in  a  big  wild  cherry  tree  that  stood  in  the  garden  only 
a  few  yards  from  where  I  took  my  forced  bath.  From 
that  day  I  made  up  my  mind  to  learn  to  swim,  but  I 
labored  all  that  summer  and  the  next,  too,  before  I 
accomplished  it. 

But  to  proceed  with  my  schooling,  which  took  so  huge 
a  slice  out  of  the  happiness  of  my  boyhood. 

My  studies  had  hitherto  been  preparatory  to  the  great 
object  of  my  mother  —  that  of  making  me  a  clergyman, 
or  perhaps  a  bishop.  I  could  read  and  write,  could  decline 
mensa,  conjugate  amo,  and  had  read  some  in  ^sop's 
Fables  in  Latin,  and  was  only  seven  years  of  age.  What 
expectation  could  not  a  fond  mother-heart  base  on  this! 
I  must,  of  course,  be  sent  to  Hernosand,  where  the  great 
preparatory  school  and  the  gymnasium  were  situated. 
The  system  of  classical  education  prevalent  in  Sweden 
rendered  a  tutor  necessary,  as  the  seats  of  learning  were 
few  and  far  apart.  In  my  youth  there  were  but  two 
universities  in  the  country,  that  of  Lund  in  the  southern- 
most and  the  world-renowned  Upsala  in  the  central 
portion  of  the  land.  These  were  supplied  with  students 
from  preparatory  institutions  in  cities  where  the  bishop 
of  the  diocese  and  the  governor  of  the  province  resided. 
These  schools,  or  seminaries,  were  divided  into  two 
branches,  with  four  classes  in  each,  called  respectively 
prima,  secunda,  tertia,  and  quarta.  The  four  lower  or,  as 
they  were  called,  "  trivial  schools,"  prepared  the  pupil 
for  entrance  to  the  higher,  the  "  gymnasium,"  from  which 
the  next  step  was  the  university. 

Some  three  or  four  miles  from  my  home  dwelt  a 
clergyman,  the  pastor  of  a  large  country  parish,  a  very 
intimate  friend  of  my  parents,  and  as  he  had  in  his  family 
a  poor  boy  student  for  whom  he  kept  a  tutor,  or  in- 
formator  as  he  was  called,  I  was  sent  there  to  be  placed 
under  the  same  guidance,  and  to  be  under  his  care  after 
my  admission  to  school  in  Hernosand.    This  was  the  way 

28 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

in  which  I  fell  under  the  tyranny  of  a  man  of  whom  I 
cannot  remember  anything  but  acts  of  cruelty.  I  remem- 
ber him  now  as  a  very  large  man,  my  fear  of  him  in 
childhood  may  have  magnified  him,  but  tall  he  was  and 
large-boned,  with  magnificent  teeth  set  in  jaws  heavy 
enough  to  have  furnished  weapons  for  Samson.  He 
was  at  the  time  in  the  gymnasium,  happily  with  only 
two  years  more  to  stay  before  he  left  for  the  university. 
He  took  orders,  but,  I  have  since  learned,  never  got 
beyond  a  poor  curate's  place  in  a  remote  country  village. 

Thus  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1826  I  be- 
came a  member  of  the  family  of  Pastor  Carling  —  Carl 
Rudolf  Carling.  I  love  to  dwell  on  the  name,  as  it  brings 
back  to  my  memory  his  great  head,  portly  form,  his  genial 
face  and  large  blue  and  prominent  eyes,  so  full  of  intelli- 
gence and  love.  He  was  of  a  Finland  family  and  greatly 
esteemed  for  solid  learning,  but,  I  am  sorry  to  add,  his 
very  kindness  of  disposition  and  love  of  friends  became 
his  ruin.  At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  however,  all 
seemed  well  and  no  household  appeared  happier. 

The  house  and  grounds,  which  were  beautifully  sit- 
uated on  a  height  overlooking  a  lovely  lake,  became  a 
favorite  resort  for  visiting  friends  from  the  city,  and 
dinner  parties  were  of  common  occurrence,  especially  on 
Sundays  in  summer.  These  occasions,  on  which  I  was 
always  permitted  to  be  present,  are  among  the  most 
pleasant  recollections  of  my  life.  Wit,  wine,  delicious 
viands,  were  all  abundant,  and,  boy  as  I  was,  I  enjoyed 
them  all.  After  dinner,  pipes,  which  it  was  my  privilege 
to  fill  and  light,  and  conversation  often  involving  much 
learning,  and  always  interesting,  which  I  loved  to  listen 
to  —  indeed  I  may  say  I  sat  at  the  feet  of  the  doctors. 
Then  there  was  a  tenpin  alley  in  the  open  air,  and  within 
cards,  music,  dancing,  and  all  manner  of  recreation.  All 
this  with  piety  and  reverence !  I  believe  the  picture  will 
not  be  unfamiliar  to  any  Swede  of  the  period. 

29 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

One  word  of  the  pastor's  wife.  Lovely,  delicate  in 
figure  and  face,  she  was  one  of  the  very  best  of  women. 
She  could  not  be  my  mother,  but,  though  I  called  her 
aunt,  she  was  more  like  an  elder  sister.  They  had  a 
housekeeper,  too,  a  nice  young  lady,  who  became,  by  the 
way,  in  after  years,  Mrs.  Liden.  All  I  can  recall  of  my 
companion  in  my  studies  was  that  he  looked  heavy  faced, 
and  that  he  was  not  very  bright,  but  good,  and  attentive 
to  his  lessons.  I  loved  to  torment  him,  and  upon  one 
occasion  came  near  killing  him.  Our  tutor  was  fond  of 
hunting  and  had  several  weapons,  which  he  usually  kept 
in  a  clothespress  at  the  end  of  the  room.  Whenever  I 
could  get  hold  of  a  rifle  or  other  firearm  I  would  chase 
my  companion  around  the  chamber  snapping  the  flint- 
lock at  him.  On  one  occasion,  it  was  a  Thursday,  Mr. 
Liden  had  been  off  duck  shooting  with  a  sort  of  kill-deer 
gun  he  had,  which  he  left  in  the  corner  near  the  clothes- 
press  while  he  went  to  find  the  key  to  the  door,  and  while 
he  was  absent  I  got  hold  of  the  weapon ;  fortunately,  my 
target  had  stepped  out  and,  so  finding  nothing  to  snap 
at,  I  simply  cocked  and  let  driye  at  the  corner.  Bang! 
The  priming  burnt  my  eyebrows  off  and  blackened  my 
face;  the  noise  stunned  me  and,  bewildered,  I  found  my 
way  downstairs,  where  I  met  Mrs.  Carling,  who  asked 
me  what  was  the  matter ;  I  remember  telling  her  I  did  not 
know.  However,  it  was  soon  known,  as  the  whole  charge 
of  duck  shot  had  gone  into  the  corner,  the  wall  also  being 
blackened  all  around  by  the  powder.  I  dreaded  meeting 
my  tutor  and,  indeed,  with  reason  had  I  met  him  alone; 
but  the  flogging  he  had  purposed  for  me  was  absolutely 
forbidden  by  the  good  pastor,  who,  instead,  gave  him  a 
lecturing  for  carelessly  leaving  the  gun  where  a  child 
could  get  it.  I  could  soon  fill  a  volume  with  recollections 
of  this  delightful  summer;  my  informator  had  not  then 
fully  developed  into  the  tyrant  he  afterwards  became; 
but  as  I  am  desirous  of  getting  over  my  childhood  ex- 

30 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

periences  as  soon  as  possible  I  shall  only  relate  one  more 
scrape  I  got  into. 

I  had  been  permitted  to  visit  the  city  in  company  with 
the  pastor  one  Saturday.  There  I  was  left  at  home  with 
my  grandmother  (my  father  and  mother  being  absent  at 
some  party,  I  suppose).  The  worthy  pastor  was  to  call 
for  me  before  going  home;  unfortunately,  he  had  been 
too  sociably  entertained  and  did  not  come  till  midnight, 
when  I  was  snugly  ensconced  behind  grandma,  hoping  to 
stay  there  all  night,  as  it  was  raining  and  thundering 
outside,  and  it  is  one  of  my  most  miserable  recollections 
that  I  had  to  arise  from  the  warm  bed,  put  on  my  clothes 
and  march  off  with  him  when  he  made  his  appearance 
after  midnight,  too  late  to  get  his  horse.  We  had  a  walk 
of  three  miles  before  us,  two  of  which  ran  along  the 
highway.  All  went  well  so  far,  but  here  my  sage  guide 
determined  to  take  a  short  cut,  which  brought  us  to 
grief.  This  "  short  cut  "  led  us  through  a  dark  grove,  for 
it  was  towards  autumn  and  the  nights  had  begun  to 
grow  obscure.  I  did  not  know  the  way,  and  he  had  too 
much  wine  aboard  to  steer  a  straight  course.  We  lost 
our  reckoning  and  suddenly  came  to  an  awkward  stop. 
An  attempt  had  been  made  to  drain  a  small  pond  and  a 
very  deep  ditch  had  been  dug,  perhaps  fifteen  feet  wide, 
which  must  be  passed.  A  spar  lay  across  the  ditch  and 
on  this  I  climbed  over ;  but  when  my  honored  companion 
essayed  it  he  was  less  successful,  and,  to  my  dismay,  I 
saw  him  disappear  in  the  gulf.  It  was  eight  or  nine  feet 
deep  with  a  bottom  of  blue  clay,  which  the  late  rain  had 
not  improved  as  a  promenading  ground,  and  he  floundered 
and  fell  at  every  attempt  to  climb  the  slippery  bank.  At 
last,  after  tugging  with  all  my  might,  I  got  the  end  of  a 
pole  down  into  the  bottom,  and  in  this  way,  by  holding 
on  to  his  coat  collar,  I  helped  him  out.  We  got  safely 
home  and  went  to  bed.  The  next  day  being  Sunday,  he 
preached  as  usual  in  the  morning,  and  I  hardly  think  that 

31 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

I  can  better  illustrate  the  manners  of  the  country  at  this 
time  than  by  stating  that  at  the  dinner  table,  where,  as 
usual  on  Sunday,  he  had  invited  a  goodly  company,  he 
himself  told  the  whole  story  to  the  great  amusement  of 
the  guests  and  to  my  great  satisfaction,  as  he  gave  me 
the  whole  credit  of  getting  him  out  of  the  dilemma. 

The  school  term  at  Hernosand  commenced  in  October, 
I  think  the  tenth.  It  is  my  impression  that  we  took  our 
departure  from  my  father's  house,  and  that  we  had  our 
own  horse  and  chaise,  at  least  for  the  first  stage  or  relay, 
there  being  four  of  these  between  the  two  cities.  At 
each  of  these  stopping  places  a  regular  tavern  was  kept, 
called  in  Swedish  a  "  Gastgifvare  Gard."  As  we  usually 
left  home  after  a  rather  late  breakfast  and  often  had  to 
wait  for  relays  at  these  places,  we  generally  passed  the 
night  at  the  nearest  to  Hernosand,  called  "  Mark."  Thus 
I  made  my  entrance  into  the  city  of  learning  in  the 
morning.    Our  lodgings  were  taken  for  us  in  advance  by 

my  parents  in  the  house  of  a  Mrs.  S- ,  who  kept  a 

very  small  needle-and-thread  shop,  eking  out  her  living 
by  boarding  students. 

My  sufferings  may  be  said  to  have  commenced  here. 
The  room  in  which  Mr.  Liden  and  myself  studied  and 
slept  was  old,  dirty,  and  infested  with  bugs,  creatures 
hitherto  unknown  to  me.  Then  the  food  was  poor  and 
badly  cooked,  and  everything  was  so  different  from  what 
I  had  been  accustomed  to.  Still  I  was  young,  and  youth 
as  well  as  age  is  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  everything, 
each  in  his  own  way. 

When  school  began  I  was  too  young  to  be  inscribed 
on  the  books  as  a  regular  scholar,  the  limits  being  be- 
tween the  ages  of  eight  and  fifteen  and  I  was  only  seven 
and  a  half.  I  was,  therefore,  by  special  permission 
allowed  to  occupy  a  seat  in  "  prima  "  on  the  lower  form, 
as  "  auditor,"  the  term  applied  to  one  not  yet  inscribed 
on  the  official  record,  until  I  should  reach  my  eighth  year, 

32 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

My  position  was  no  sinecure,  for  I  learned  and  recited 
all  the  lessons  the  rest  did,  and  the  next  year  I  was  pro- 
moted to  the  highest  place  in  the  class,  being  first  on  the 
catalogue,  a  distinction  which,  thanks  to  my  quick  appre- 
hension and  the  severity  of  my  tutor,  I  maintained  as 
long  as  I  remained  at  Hernosand. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Christmas  and  Easter  holi- 
days, at  which  times  I  was  permitted  to  go  home,  the 
school  term  lasted  till  the  first  of  June,  when  we  had  our 
examinations  in  great  style.  It  was  the  season  of  flowers 
and  tender  green,  and  it  is  one  of  my  happiest  memories 
to  recall  the  going  out  into  the  fields  to  gather  flowers, 
making  wreaths  and  cutting  young  trees  and  branches 
to  nail  to  the  standing  desks  in  front  of  our  seats,  decor- 
ating the  whole  school  with  garlands  of  flowers,  thus 
making  a  sort  of  Arcadean  grove,  full  of  sweet  fragrance, 
out  of  our  musty  old  prison.  ,We  were  examined  by  a 
committee  of  professors  from  the  gymnasium,  assisted  by 
the  dignitaries  of  the  city,  and  our  places  in  the  catalogue 
fixed  for  the  next  term. 

I  do  not  care  to  dwell  on  my  miseries,  but  one  occa- 
sion I  shall  never  forget.  It  was  the  day  I  learned  to  tell 
the  time  of  day  by  the  watch.  Mr.  Liden  asked  me  to 
tell  him  what  time  it  was  and  I  gave  the  hour  and  "a  little 
after,"  how  much  after  I  do  not  remember.  He  then  in- 
formed me,  looking  his  most  ogre-like,  that  there  were 
sixty  minutes  in  an  hour,  and  again  asked  me  to  give  him 
the  time.  I  never  heard  how  many  minutes,  or  if  I  did 
the  fact  was  without  signification.  I  only  thought  of 
the  huge  hand  which  I  saw  ready  for  me  —  and  it  came 
on  my  cheeks  and  head  several  times,  when  the  same 
process  was  repeated,  and  at  last,  after  a  good  many  trials 
of  the  same  sort,  it  did  get  into  my  head  that  the  little 
marks  round  the  dial  were  indications  of  minutes,  and 
then  I  saw  it  all  and  have  never  had  any  doubt  on  the 
subject  since.     Now  this  method,  though  effectual,  was 

33 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

not  the  best,  since  it  took  much  longer  than  necessary, 
for  I  have  been  able  to  teach  a  child  the  same  lesson  in 
much  less  time. 

But,  thank  God,  Liden's  time  was  up  in  the  gymna- 
sium and  we  separated.  My  next  tutor  was  a  kind- 
hearted  young  man,  one  Richter,  the  son  of  the  jailer  at 
Hernosand.  It  was  found  that  I  showed  a  love  for  art, 
and  my  mother  persuaded  a  beautiful  young  lady,  the 
daughter  of  a  lector  in  a  gymnasium,  to  give  me  some  les- 
sons in  drawing.  How  well  I  remember  the  elegance  and 
taste  that  pervaded  her  perfumed  boudoir,  and  my  blushes 
when  she  spoke  to  me  or  leaned  over  me  to  guide  my 
hand.  Well,  I  took  I  don't  recall  how  many  lessons,  but 
I  remember  about  a  dozen  sheets  of  the  finest  of  drawing- 
paper  covered  with  flowers,  a  landscape  with  a  big  spruce, 
and  one  head  with  abundance  of  curly  hair,  all  done  in 
the  neatest  manner  possible  of  penciling.  This  was  the 
only  regular  instruction  in  art  I  ever  had. 

I  remained  at  school  in  Hernosand  four  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  I  became,  for  my  age,  fairly  advanced  in 
Latin  and  geography,  read  some  history,  learned  the  first 
rudiments  of  Greek  grammar,  a  little  arithmetic  and 
geometry,  together  with  a  good  deal  of  catechism  and 
biblical  history.  Our  studies  began  at  7  A.  M.,  though 
it  was  necessary  to  be  in  school  half  an  hour  before  that 
time  to  attend  prayers,  when  the  roll  was  called,  and  woe 
to  the  unlucky  boy  before  whose  name  the  ominous  word 
"  absent "  was  written.  Of  course,  the  first  two  hours 
were  by  candle  light  and  mortally  dreary  hours  they  were. 
At  9  we  went  to  breakfast,  and  at  10  the  next  session 
commenced;  we  were  let  out  at  12  and  had  a  respite  of 
three  hours,  when  the  bell  again  called  us  to  our  tasks. 
At  5  P.  M.  we  were  free  for  the  day,  save  that  the  lessons 
for  the  next  day  were  to  be  learned  before  bedtime.  Many 
a  weary  hour  have  I  spent  before  my  book,  evening  after 
evening,  sometimes  so  sleepy  that  I  have  been  obliged  to 

34 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

hold  my  eyelids  open  with  my  fingers,  and  I  was  fre- 
quently aroused  at  4  the  next  morning  when  I  had  failed 
to  get  my^task  by  11  the  night  before,  the  hour  of  my 
release,  for  my  tyrant  never  stayed  up  later  himself,  and 
seldom  allowed  me  to  go  to  bed  before  he  did.  Sometimes 
I  would  feign  sickness  in  the  morning  and  in  that  way  get 
an  hour  or  two  more  of  sleep,  but  this  could  not  be  often. 
I  remember  one  night  having  feigned  sick  and  been  per- 
mitted to  go  to  bed  with  a  promise  of  a  whipping  in  the 
morning  should  the  suspicion  of  my  tutor  that  I  was 
shamming  be  confirmed.  On  awakening  the  next  day  I 
really  had  such  a  cold  that  I  could  not  speak  aloud;  in 
fact,  I  had  completely  lost  my  voice.  Imagine  my  joy !  I 
was  free  from  school  a  whole  day,  and  the  only  drawback 
was  that  I  had  to  swallow  several  hot  draughts  of  catnip 
tea  sweetened  with  honey. 

About  this  time  I  used  to  know  a  poor  mute  boy 
who  sold  gingerbread  and  molasses  candy  in  the  school 
yard.  I  was  ever  benevolent  of  disposition,  and  a  sort 
of  friendship  sprung  up  between  us,  in  so  much  that  I 
sometimes  made  visits  to  his  mother's  home,  when  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the  interesting  process  of 
manufacturing  the  candy.  The  molasses,  or  rather 
treacle,  of  which  it  was  made,  was  boiled  and  potash  put 
in,  causing  it  to  foam  up,  after  which  it  was  poured  into 
small  cornucopias  made  by  rolling  paper  on  the  finger  to 
a  point.  These  little  parcels  just  held  a  fair  mouthful  and 
were  sold  for  about  a  sixth  of  a  cent  of  our  money,  the 
ordinary  way  of  getting  at  the  precious  morsel  being  to 
lick  the  paper  until  it  could  be  unrolled.  I  had  a  pair  of 
spare  boots  and  my  humble  friend  of  the  deaf  ears  had 
none,  so  I  gave  them  to  him,  covering  my  generosity  with 
a  falsehood,  namely,  that  I  had  taken  them  off  in  a 
field  to  go  barefoot,  a  common  boy's  trick,  and  that  I 
could  not  find  the  place  again.  It  served  my  turn.  At 
this   distance  of  time  I   cannot  analyze  my  motive  in 

35 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

telling  the  untruth,  though  I  am  sure  I  desired  to  protect 
my  poor  friend  in  his  right  to  the  boots,  for  I  knew  my 
tutor  would  not  have  allowed  him  to  keep  them. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  miseries  of  my  school  life 
I  cherish  some  sweet  memories  of  Hernosand.  Among 
these  I  reckon  the  so-called  mountain.  This  was  simply 
a  gradual  ascent  on  one  side  of  the  town  to  a  high  ridge 
of  bald  granite  of  uneven  surface;  the  way  to  this  lay 
through  lovely  fields,  which  late  in  May  were  full  of  wild 
flowers,  rich  carpets  of  gold,  scarlet  and  purple,  and 
mixed  with  the  divers  greens  of  the  tender  spring  grass. 
There  were  also  beautiful  groves ;  alas !  they  were  mostly 
birch,  and  thus  did  not  leave  the  pleasant  memories  that 
ought  to  attach  to  this  of  all  Nature's  products  the  most 
delightful,  when  in  the  early  summer  morning  they  are 
full  of  warblers  that  have  come  back  from  the  sunny 
south  to  the  land  of  their  birth.  Here  we  gathered 
flowers,  here  we  bound  garlands;  here  frequently  in  the 
pleasant  shade,  seated  on  some  lichen-covered  rock,  we 
conned  our  lessons  or  enjoyed  the  stolen  pleasure  of  an 
old  romanza,  and  hither  the  gymnasiasts  came  to  sing 
their  harmonies  in  the  early  summer  nights. 

The  summer  of  1828  was  a  memorable  one  in  my 
history,  for  it  was  the  year  of  my  father's  death.  He  had 
been  ill  all  the  summer,  and  I  well  remember  the  gloom 
that  hung  over  the  house  the  whole  season.  It  came 
home  to  me  personally,  as  I  was  not  allowed  to  make 
any  noise  about  the  premises,  and  how  can  a  boy  be 
happy  without  the  privilege  of  making  a  noise,  especially 
if  he  is  what  I  was  —  a  robust  and  boisterous  fellow? 
But  what  I  could  not  do  in  the  house  I  effected  on  the 
river,  frightening  my  grandmother  out  of  her  wits  by 
my  recklessness.  But  one  hot  day  in  August,  when  only 
our  foreman,  Salander,  and  I  were  at  dinner,  the  news 
came  that  my  father  had  breathed  his  last.  Salander  at 
once,  with  becoming  respect,  rose  from  the  table,  when 

36 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

astonished  at  my  continuing  to  eat,  he  exclaimed :  "  Boy, 
do  you  not  hear  that  your  father  is  dead?"  "Yes,"  I 
answered^ "  but  can  I  bring  him  to  life  by  refraining  to 
eat?"  I  never  could  quite  analyze  my  feeling,  or  rather 
want  of  feeling,  at  this  event ;  but  I  suppose  that,  as  I  had 
never  been  very  near  my  father,  and,  as  during  his  sick- 
ness he  had  seemed  cross  sometimes,  his  death  did  not 
affect  me  very  much  at  the  time.  And  yet  I  loved  my 
father,  and  many  a  tear  I  shed  in  later  years  on  his  grave. 
He  was  a  good  man,  though  I  often  heard  him  called 
worldly.  A  man  more  occupied  with  his  business  affairs 
than  anything  else.  At  the  time  of  my  father's  death  my 
mother  was  away  at  one  of  the  before-mentioned  business 
fairs  and  did  not  reach  home  till  nearly  a  fortnight  after, 
during  which  time  the  corpse  lay  in  state  in  the  coffin, 
which  was  a  marvel  of  workmanship  in  its  way,  being  the 
product  of  the  best  cabinetmaker  in  town ;  it  was  made, 
as  was  customary  in  Sweden  at  the  time,  with  arched  lid. 
The  shroud  was  of  white  silk  and  the  coffin  lined  with 
white  satin;  outside  it  was  painted  ultramarine  blue  and 
studded  with  silvered  stars.  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
describe  my  mother's  grief. 

The  funeral  was  on  a  grand  scale,  and  there  must 
have  been  at  least  a  hundred  invited  guests.  A  descrip- 
tion of  this  ceremony  is  typical,  and  I  will,  therefore,  give 
it  as  I  remember  it.  At  3  o'clock  P.  M.  on  a  fine  day 
early  in  September  the  funeral  guests  were  assembled  in 
the  festal  salon.  Regular  printed  invitations  on  black- 
edged  letter  paper,  and  folded  the  old-fashioned  way 
without  envelopes,  were  sent  to  all  friends,  but  to  the 
most  intimate  the  letters  O.  S.  A.  (och  spisa  afton),  angl., 
and  eat  supper,  were  written  in  the  right-hand  corner. 

When  the  guests  had  arrived  the  ladies  repaired  to  an 
inner  apartment  with  the  lady  mourners,  and  the  gentle- 
men walked  about  in  other  rooms,  discussing  the  topics 
of  the   day  in   a   rather   subdued   key,   but  with   long- 

37 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

stemmed  meerschaum  pipes  in  their  mouths.  Coffee  was 
then  served,  and  after  that  brandy  or  punch  to  the  men 
and  "  bischoff  "  (port  wine,  sugar,  water,  flavored  with 
orange)  to  the  ladies.  The  funeral  cortege  was  then 
formed,  the  minister  leading,  the  mourners  following, 
then  the  hearse  drawn  by  white  horses,  then  the  bearers 
(if  the  distance  be  short  no  hearse  is  used),  all  marched 
to  the  grave.  The  funeral  service  is  performed,  the  dust 
thrown  on  the  cofiin,  and  all  is  over,  unless,  as  was  the 
case  with  my  father,  a  man  of  prominence  is  dead,  when 
a  short  sermon  is  preached  afterwards  in  the  church.  All 
then  repair  to  the  house,  and  the  rest  of  the  afternoon 
till  7  o'clock  is  spent  in  conversation,  smoking,  and  mod- 
erate drinking  of  arrack  punch,  or  bischoff.  I  ought  to 
mention  that  it  is  not  the  custom  for  the  lady  guests  to 
go  to  the  grave  —  they  remain  in  the  house  to  receive 
the  mourners  on  their  return. 

When  the  time  comes  to  break  up,  in  addition  to 
comfitures  properly  labeled  with  pictures  suggestive  of 
mourning,  which  have  been  distributed  liberally  to  all, 
a  peculiar  cake  called  "  kringla  "  is  served  to  every  male 
gtiest,  and  this  he  is  expected  to  take  home  with  him, 
which  he  often  does  by  putting  his  arm  through  it.  It 
was  in  the  form  of  a  bretzel,  but  about  a  foot  in  its 
longest  diameter,  made  of  fine  wheat  and  studded  outside 
and  inside  with  currants.  This  was  for  those  who  re- 
mained at  home,  and  was  always  cut  into  convenient 
pieces  and  given  to  them  as  wedding  cake  is  with  us. 
The  punch  and  bischoff  were  kept  in  very  large  punch 
bowls,  the  filled  glasses  being  placed  on  large  trays  and 
served  round  to  the  guests.  I  am  ashamed  to  acknowl- 
edge that  I  got  very  tipsy  on  the  occasion  of  my  father's 
funeral  by  drinking  from  the  bowls  out  of  the  silver  ladle, 
when  no  one  saw  me. 

After  my  father's  death  I  was  sent  back  to  Hernosand, 
where  I  remained  two  years  longer,  this  time  under  my 

38 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

new  "  informator,"  Mr.  Richter.  We  had  changed  our 
boarding-house,  being  better  lodged  and  fed,  with  a  shoe- 
maker near  the  school  and  just  over  a  little  brook  that 
ran  at  the  back  of  the  school-house.  I  remember  having 
to  pass  a  small  flock  of  turkeys,  owned  by  one  of  the 
professors,  on  my  way  to  and  from  school.  It  was  a 
frightful  ordeal,  as  the  great  gobbler  would  sometimes 
show  a  disposition  to  make  it  uncomfortable  for  little 
boys  —  especially,  it  was  said,  if  they  had  red  vests  on. 
Truth  compels  me  to  own  to  one  thing  here  —  my 
progress  in  study  was  much  slower  under  Richter  than 
under  Liden,  my  natural  laziness  not  being  stimulated  by 
corporal  punishment.  Among  those  that  I  remember  as 
students  in  Hernosand  at  that  time  was  the  afterwards 
celebrated  poet,  Sehlstedt,  who  even  at  that  early  day 
showed  remarkable  talents  for  poetry,  and  even  design. 
He  was  by  ten  years  my  senior,  and  was  then  in  the  gym- 
nasium. It  is  a  pleasant  thing  for  me  in  my  American 
home,  almost  within  sound  of  the  roar  of  the  Niagara,  to 
read  in  his  poetical  writings,  now  in  my  library,  the  famil- 
iar description  of  Norland,  and  especially  his  humorous 
description  of  Hernosand  and  its  surroundings,  with  its 
memories  of  the  haunts  of  the  students,  where  "  en 
Ijuslett  pounch  som  varmde  magen  "  was  still  dispensed, 
"  man  Stenholms*  kande  och  man  Roslingsf  kande,  om 
WisselgrenJ  man  viste  ingenting." 

But  I  may  not  linger  among  these  pleasant  memories. 
In  1830,  my  mother  having  given  me  a  stepfather,  I  was 
taken  out  of  this  school  to  be  placed  in  one  of  a  more 
practical  tendency  at  home.  Thus  were  the  dreams  of 
my  mother's  ambition  for  me  forever  dissolved. 


*  A  light-colored  punch  that  warmed  the  belly, 
•j*  Well-known  keepers  of  confectionery  "  boutiques,'*  where 
punch  was  sold. 

^  A  professor  who  introduced  teetotalism. 

39 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

The  school  at  Hernosand  was  a  state  institution 
wholly  supported  from  public  funds;  the  lectors  of  the 
gymnasium  as  well  as  the  teachers  in  the  lower  depart- 
ment, who  were  all  highly-educated  clergymen,  were 
salaried  by  government,  the  whole  being  under  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  the  "  Rector,"  a  title  never  applied  to  a 
church  minister  in  English,  but  simply  regulator  or  super- 
intendent. All  tuition  was  free;  there  was  a  well- 
appointed  gymnasium  for  physical  training,  the  only 
expense  to  the  student  being  for  books,  papers,  and 
other  materials  for  study,  besides  his  personal  keeping. 
In  Sundsvall  the  school  was  supported  by  the  city,  and 
on  much  more  economic  principles,  for,  although  the  in- 
struction was  gratuitous,  the  care  of  the  school-room  was 
not  wholly  so,  neither  were  fuel  or  lights  freely  furnished. 
I  do  not  recall  how  the  candles,  which  in  winter  were 
burned  till  9  in  the  morning  and  from  3  to  5  in  the  after- 
noon, were  procured ;  but  I  remember  well  that  each  boy 
had  to  take  his  turn  to  bring  wood  and  make  the  fire  in 
the  morning.  The  method  of  warming  houses  in  Sweden 
was  by  heating  a  large  brick  structure  or  oven  till  the 
accumulated  heat  of  the  mass  kept  the  temperature  of 
the  room  comfortable,  all  apertures  through  which  heat 
might  escape  being  as  hermetically  closed  as  possible 
after  the  wood  had  burned  down  to  live  coals.  Two  large 
armfuls  of  birch  wood  were  sufficient  for  the  day,  and 
these  were  loaded  on  the  coaster  and  drawn  to  the  school- 
house  in  time  for  opening  at  6.30  A.  M.  I  lived  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  school,  and  I  can  remember 
many  a  pitch-dark  morning  with  the  thermometer  a  long 
way  below  freezing  point,  when,  after  a  good  cup  of  coffee, 
well  muffled  up  and  with  Lapp  moccasins  on  my  feet,  I 
sallied  out  from  the  house  before  6  in  the  morning  to  drag 
my  sled  (loaded  with  wood  the  night  before)  often 
through  heavy  drifts  of  snow.  Strange  to  say,  it  did  not 
occur  to  me  to  look  upon  this  as  a  particular  hardship. 

40 


BIRTH    AND    EDUCATION 

My  studies  were  chiefly  in  mathematics,  especially  in 
g-eometry,  in  which  I  became  somewhat  proficient  because 
I  loved  it,-and  arithmetic,  which  I  never  learned  well  be- 
cause I  hated  it  and  never  understood  its  principles.  The 
fact  was,  I  was  so  far  advanced  in  some  studies  that  too 
much  knowledge  was  taken  for  granted  in  others,  and 
instead  of  being  put  where  I  belonged  in  arithmetic  — 
that  was  among  those  of  the  lowest  form,  so  as  to  get  a 
gradual  light  on  the  principles  —  I  was  at  once  placed 
among  the  advanced  scholars.  The  result  was  that  I  got 
through  my  tasks  by  hook  or  by  crook,  and  generally  by 
the  aid  of  one  of  my  playmates,  the  before-mentioned 
Otto  Bill,  who  had  not  been  sent  to  Hernosand,  but  began 
in  the  school  of  his  native  city,  thus  gradually  acquiring 
a  good  foundation,  and  by  a  thorough  understanding  of 
principles  he  found  the  most  complicated  tasks  easy.  So 
we  skated  or  coasted  when  I  should  have  been  working 
over  my  "  sums,"  and  while  we  ate  our  bread  and  butter, 
from  9  to  lo  in  the  morning  at  school,  being  too  far  from 
home  to  go  to  breakfast,  he  finished  my  tasks  as  well  as 
his  own.  It  was  friendly  and  convenient,  but,  as  I  found 
in  after  years,  not  profitable.  As  my  intimacy  with  this 
boy  was  of  the  closest,  I  shall  here  mention  what  I 
learned  years  afterwards  of  his  history  and  sad  end.  Carl 
Otto  Bill  was  a  bright,  handsome  boy,  but  not  what  is 
called  a  good  one ;  not  that  he  was  worse  than  most  boys, 
but  he  never  would  have  figured  as  the  hero  of  a  Sunday- 
school  book;  certainly  not  as  an  example.  And  yet  I 
loved  him  as  I  have  never  loved  another  boy.  He  studied 
civil  engineering,  went  to  Stockholm,  where  he  was  well 
connected,  but  in  an  evil  hour  got  drunk  and  enlisted  in 
the  guards,  becoming  a  common  soldier.  Through  the 
influence  of  his  relatives  he  was  released  before  his  term 
of  servitude  was  ended,  and  as  no  hope  for  amendment 
from  his  bad  habit  was  to  be  found  on  land  he  was  sent 
to  sea  for  his  moral  training,  and  it  is  possible  that  this 

41 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

heroic  treatment  might  have  succeeded,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, he  was  drowned  on  his  first  voyage.  Poor  Otto ! 
I  was  sad  at  missing  him  when  I  visited  my  home  soon 
after.     "  I  could  have  better  spared  a  better  man !" 


42 


Ill 

/  GO  TO  SEA 

IN  the  spring  of  1831  I  was  ill-treated  beyond  endur- 
ance by  my  step-father  for  what  he  was  pleased  to 
call  an  offence,  though  I  never,  in  my  mature  life, 
could  see  that  it  was  an  offense  to  cut  a  sapling  growing 
from  the  root  of  a  mountain  ash  to  make  a  fish-pole  of  for 
a  little  boy.  He  took  the  sapling  and  wore  it  out  on  my 
back.  As  I  considered  the  property  mine  and  him  a 
usurper,  my  anger  and  indignation  overcame  my  pain, 
and  1  can  recall  no  humiliating  appeals  for  mercy;  but,  the 
injury  having  been  inflicted,  I  immediately  went  to  my 
mother  and  informed  her  of  my  resolution  to  go  to  sea, 
and  in  less  than  a  month  I  was  on  board  of  a  small 
schooner  bound  for  Stockholm.  It  was  a  short  trip,  and 
did  not  occupy  more  than  a  month,  but  henceforth  I  was 
to  be  a  sailor.  On  this,  my  first  voyage,  I  escaped  sea- 
sickness by  being  permitted  to  keep  my  berth  during  the 
passage  (twenty-four  hours).  I  well  remember  my  first 
view  of  Stockholm.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  had  been 
there  before  —  as  if  in  some  other  life  I  had  been  familiar 
with  its  streets  and  palaces.  I  have  since  had  the  same 
feeling  with  regard  to  other  and  foreign  cities;  it  is  a 
curious  sensation,  and  I  wonder  if  it  is  shared  by  others. 
But  my  real  sea  life  did  not  begin  till  autumn  of  the 
same  year,  when  I  was  actually  shipped  as  cabin  boy  on 
the  ship  "  Petrus  "  of  Vifsta  Wharf,  a  considerable  ship- 
building establishment,  owned  by  a  rich  company  that 
sent  its  vessels  into  all  the  seas  of  the  globe.  The 
"  Petrus  "  was  a  full-rigged  ship  of  600  tons  burthen,  com- 

43 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

manded  by  a  Captain  Nordstrom,  the  oldest  and  best 
sailor  in  the  company's  service.  Our  cargo  was  square 
timber,  and  the  destination  Alexandria,  Egypt.  It  was  a 
cold  November  day  in  183 1  when  we  set  sail.  The 
weather  in  the  Baltic  and  Cattegat  was  far  from  beautiful, 
and,  consequently,  I  soon  found  my  first  sea  enemy,  sea- 
sickness, which  hitherto  had  been  only  a  hearsay,  but 
now,  alas !  I  realized  the  misery  of  those  who  go  to  sea  for 
the  first  time.  Sea-sickness  is  far  from  jolly  for  him  who 
can  lie  in  his  berth  and  quaff  his  champagne,  but  to  a 
luckless  cabin  boy,  whose  duty  requires  him  to  be  on 
band  to  wait  on  the  captain  or  mates,  it  is  a  condition  of 
unhappiness  to  which  no  words  can  do  justice,  and  if  any- 
thing be  wanting  to  complete  the  picture  of  utter  abject- 
ness  to  which  a  little  boy  of  thirteen,  of  good  family,  may 
be  reduced  let  him  remember  that  I  was  in  a  vessel  laden 
with  lumber,  the  deck  load  of  which  was  higher  than  the 
sheerpoles.  These  square-hewn  timbers  were  always  wet 
and  slippery,  and  to  ascend  them  to  go  to  the  galley  for 
the  cabin  dinner,  or  to  wash  the  dishes,  one  was  com- 
pelled to  use  them  as  steps,  each  log  being  a  foot  high,  it 
will  easily  be  understood  that  many  an  unfortunate  tum- 
ble was  unavoidable.  I  remember  once  being  so  sick  as 
to  wish  that  someone  would  throw  me  into  the  sea  and 
end  my  misery,  that  I  was  mounting  the  deck  load  as 
carefully  as  I  could  with  my  hands  full  of  dishes  when  a 
lurch  sent  me,  crockery  and  all,  into  the  uneven  inter- 
stices which  formed  the  end  of  the  cargo  abaft.  I  don't 
remember  what  became  of  the  ceramics,  but  I  know  that 
I  was  hurt  and  miserable  beyond  expression. 

But  I  will  not  dwell  on  things  like  these.  It  would 
only  tear  open  wounds  that  long  since  have  healed.  One 
instance  I  will  relate  because  it  is  not  unmixed  with  a 
humorous  recollection.  This  was  after  I  had  got  some- 
what seasoned,  and  after  a  storm,  when  only  the  heavy 
swell  remained  to  tell  of  the  subsided  fury  of  the  waves. 

44 


I    GO    TO    SEA 

We  had  a  house  on  deck  quite  aft  over  the  rudder  head. 
This  was  our  dining-room  at  sea,  for  the  handsome  and 
spacious  rabin  was  filled  with  lumber,  the  perquisite 
venture  of  the  captain.  The  day  was  fine,  and  a  resolu- 
tion to  turn  over  a  new  leaf  came  over  me.  I  would  re- 
form and  try  to  be  henceforward  a  model  cabin  boy,  no 
longer  the  lazy,  careless  fellow  that  all  my  superiors 
made  me  out  to  be,  and  for  which  I  was  almost  every  day 
rope's-ended.  To  begin  with,  I  thought  I  would  clean 
out  the  locker  in  which  the  dinner  things  were  kept. 
This  receptacle  was  horizontal,  and  its  top  was  our  dining 
table.  I  took  everything  out,  piled  all  the  plates  and  other 
dishes  on  top  of  the  table  and  went  about  my  cleaning, 
when  suddenly  a  lurch  sent  everything  onto  the  deck  with 
a  terrible  crash,  awakening  the  captain,  who  had  been 
asleep  on  the  lounge  near  by.  I  took  a  hurried  glance  at 
the  wrecked  earthenware  and  demoralized  viands,  caught 
sight  of  the  awful  countenance  of  my  tyrant,  and,  before 
he  could  get  hold  of  the  rope's-end  which  hung  near  the 
door,  and  whose  peculiar  and  biting  qualities  my  poor 
little  back  knew  so  well,  I  was  out  of  the  door  as  fast  as  I 
could  scamper.  I  believe  "  The  Old  Man  "  took  in  the 
situation  before  reaching  the  rope,  for  he  only  called  out, 
"Come  back,  you  little  scamp,  and  pick  up  the  pieces.'' 
On  reviewing  the  wreck  I  only  found  three  plates  service- 
able, and  they  had  each  a  piece  out  of  the  rim. 

Only  one  more  episode  concerning  myself  before 
reaching  the  end  of  our  long  and  tedious  passage.  One 
dark  evening  orders  were  given  to  take  in  the  royals. 
Though  I  was  not  by  Nature  cut  out  for  a  cabin  boy,  I 
took  easily  to  the  adventurous  and  perilous  life  of  a  sailor. 
Without  anyone  knowing  it,  I  ran  up  the  mizzen  rigging 
to  take  in  the  royal,  a  feat  I  thought  I  could  perform 
alone.  I  was  successful,  but  it  came  near  costing  me  my 
life.  The  sail  was  simply  lowered  to  the  yard  below  and 
there  secured,  the  clews  or  corners  being  permanently 

45 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

fixed  to  the  top-gallant  yard,  as  was  the  ordinary  cus- 
tom at  the  time  in  small  ships,  and  may,  perhaps,  still 
obtain  with  regard  to  skysails  or  skyscrapers  of  vessels 
of  larger  capacity.  As  I  was  coming  in  after  what  was, 
to  me,  a  ticklish  operation,  I  lost  my  hold  of  the  yard  and 
fell  backward.  Happily  as  I  fell  my  feet  slipped  on  the 
foot  rope  forward,  so  that  I  hung  with  bended  legs,  as  one 
does  in  a  gymnasium,  and  I  had  been  accustomed  to 
gymnastic  exercises  at  school  in  Hernosand.  I  came 
down  safe,  only  minus  my  last  headgear,  for  one  after 
another  had  been  blown  off  during  the  voyage.  It  is 
only  the  old  sailor  who  can  keep  his  head-piece  on  at  sea 
with  any  degree  of  certainty,  but  even  he  can  often  take 
leave  of  his  hat,  as  three  or  four  seas  off  he  sees  it  rise 
on  a  wave  with  a  sort  of  mocking  "  take  me  if  you  can  " 
expression. 

The  ship  "  Petrus  "  was  no  clipper  —  far  from  it.  I 
don't  think  that  the  hardest  gale  under  which  sails  could 
be  carried  would  have  induced  her  to  a  pace  beyond  eight 
knots.  Consequently,  our  passage  was  a  long  one  —  three 
mortal  winter  months  from  land  to  land.  Of  course,  the 
weather  was  stormy  the  whole  voyage.  It  is  always 
stormy  at  this  time  of  the  year  in  the  seas  we  were 
obliged  to  traverse  to  reach  the  land  of  the  pyramids 
and  wonders.  November  was  spent  in  the  Baltic,  the 
Cattegat,  the  Scagerack,  the  North  Sea,  and  Channel.  It 
was  December  before  we  came  to  the  famous  Bay  of  Bis- 
cay, and  during  a  large  portion  of  this  wintery  month,  as 
well  as  through  the  whole  of  January,  we  plowed  the 
Mediterranean.  In  fact,  we  had  bad  weather  most  of  the 
time,  the  only  difference  being  that  it  was  sometimes 
worse.  The  culmination  of  a  succession  of  gales  came 
off  the  island  of  Sicily.  It  was  one  of  the  worst  storms 
I  ever  have  experienced.  I  shall  never  forget  one  night 
when  even  I,  though  scarcely  more  than  a  child,  was  kept 
on  deck  all  night.     The  night  was  dark  as  pitch.     You 

46 


I    GO    TO    SEA 

could  not  see  your  hand  before  you,  except  when  the 
vivid  lightning  for  moments  made  the  smallest  objects 
visible.  I^new  nothing  then  of  Tam  O'Shanter,  but 
when  I  think  of  that  night  the  words  of  Burns  come  nat- 
urally to  my  mind  : 

The  wind  blew  as  'twad  blawn  its  last ; 
The  rattling  showers  rose  on  the  blast ; 
The  speedy  gleam  the  darkness  swallowed; 
Loud,  deep,  and  long,  the  thunder  bellowed: 
That  night,  a  child  might  understand 
The  deil  had  business  on  his  hand. 

As  is  natural  with  a  boy,  I  had  wished  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  voyage  that  I  might  see  a  real  storm.  Well, 
we  had  been  out,  as  I  now  know,  in  almost  continuous 
tempests,  but,  as  my  idea  of  stormy  waves  was  mountain 
high,  and  none  had  so  far  risen  to  the  dignity  of  even  a 
moderate  hill  I  naturally  supposed  that  the  real  thing  was 
yet  to  come.  This  night  put  me  in  the  right  on  the  sub- 
ject; for  if  the  darkness  was  too  thick  to  take  close  ob- 
servation of  the  altitude  of  the  seas,  their  roar  and  mag- 
nificent phosphorescence,  combined  with  blinding  flashes 
of  lightning,  added  to  frightful  peals  of  thunder,  were 
enough  to  give  free  scope  to  the  terrors  of  the  imagina- 
tion. 

And  yet  I  never  for  a  moment  thought  of  impending 
danger.  It  was  the  bliss  of  ignorance,  for  there  was 
danger,  as  my  after  experience  enables  me  to  realize. 
The  ship  had  sprung  a  leak,  and  the  pumps  were  going 
incessantly,  their  creaking  noise  keeping  up  a  kind  of 
fugue  with  the  other  unearthly  sounds,  or  their  rhyth- 
mical cadence  might  well,  without  great  stretch  of  fancy, 
seem  mournful  accompaniment  to  the  diapason  of  the  ele- 
ments. But  amid  all,  and  piercing  all,  rang  out  the  trum- 
peted command  of  the  captain  to  the  sailors,  and  their  an- 
swering yells  as,  perched  upon  the  topling  yards,  they 

47 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

were  doing  their  best  to  reef  and  stow  the  sails.  All  went 
well  till  the  courses  were  furled  and  topsails  close  reefed. 
I  suppose  the  intention  of  the  captain  was  to  lie  to  under 
close-reefed  foretopsail  and  spanker.  While  hoisting  the 
foretopsail  a  sound  like  the  report  of  a  cannon  was  heard 
above  the  storm,  and  we  learned  that  the  sail  had  been 
split  almost  from  yard  to  foot-rope. 

To  keep  the  sail  from  blowing  to  ribbons  the  ship  was 
kept  before  the  wind.  This  kept  the  canvas  bellied  out, 
and  two  men  were  sent  aloft  to  repair  damage.  I  have 
never  since  seen  sails  mended  in  the  way  they  were,  but 
as  a  temporary  relief  it  was  successful.  One  man  was 
lowered  in  front  and  the  other  behind,  passing  the  sail 
needle  to  each  other  till  the  rent  was  closed  by  strong,  if 
not  neat,  stitches ! 

By  morning  the  gale  abated,  and  the  rest  of  the 
passage  was  performed  after  the  permanent  repairs  had 
been  properly  made. 


48 


IV 

ALEXANDRIA 

WE  entered  Alexandria  on  a  beautiful  day  in  the 
early  part  of  February.  Scarcely  was  the 
anchor  down  before  we  were  surrounded  with 
bumboats  and  officials.  The  former  had  an  attraction  for 
me  that  to  this  day  I  recall  with  pleasure ;  they  were  full  of 
fruits,  both  dried  and  fresh,  long  strings  of  dried  figs  were 
heaped  among  luscious  bananas,  fresh  and  dried  dates, 
and  other  things  tempting  to  a  boy's  palate.  Dried  figs 
were  familiar,  but  dates  and  bananas  were  revelations.  It 
goes  without  saying  that  I  invested  the  few  coins  I  pos- 
sessed ;  it  was  not  much,  but  fruit  was  cheap,  and  for  the 
first  time  I  sated  myself  with  these  unknown  delicacies. 

A  fat,  middle-aged  Turk  came  on  board  as  interpreter, 
a  very  useful  man  he  proved  to  be,  but  when  or  where  he 
had  learned  Swedish  passes  my  comprehension.  At  the 
time  it  seemed  so  fiatural  to  hear  my  native  language 
spoken  that  I  did  not  even  think  to  ask  him.  Several 
other  Mussulmen  came  on  board.  I  think  they  were  gov- 
ernment cffficers,  for  I  believe  our  cargo  of  square  timber 
was  for  government  account,  as  at  the  time  there  was 
much  stir  in  their  navy  yard,  whither  it  was  taken  as 
fast  as  it  was  unloaded.  These  gentlemen  were  very  fond 
of  coffee,  and  not  averse  to  taking  even  stronger 
beverages  on  the  sly;  I  also  remember  that  they  were 
readily  induced  to  partake  of  our  ham  if  we  did  not  call 
it  pork,  that,  too,  being  an  interdicted  article  of  the 
Koran.  But  these  were  war  times,  when  perhaps  the 
sumptuary   and   hygienic   rules   of   Mahomet  were   less 

49 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

strictly  observed.  All  was  excitement  and  everyone  busy 
with  warlike  preparations.  Egypt  was  in  the  midst  of 
its  struggle  for  independence  under  the  vigorous  rule  of 
old  Mehemet  Ali,  the  famous  slayer  of  the  Janissaries. 

While  employed  in  waiting  on  these  guests  and  pre- 
paring coffee  for  our  interpreter  I  had  frequent  oppor- 
tunity to  observe  some  Turkish  habits  and  mode  of  dress- 
ing; the  latter  I  will  here  describe  as  I  saw  it,  my  old 
friend  Shirarah  often  taking  occasion  to  undress  and  dress 
before  me,  for  we  got  to  be  very  familiar  through  the 
coffee  pot,  which  was  never  idle.  His  outer  garments 
consisted  of  a  large  turban,  a  short  embroidered  red 
jacket,  an  inner  vest  also  embroidered,  and  over  which 
and  the  upper  part  of  the  trousers  the  large  and  thickly- 
folded  girdle  was  wound.  The  trousers  were  large,  of  a 
red  color,  very  wide,  loosely  fastened  at  the  knee,  or 
rather  not  fastened,  the  simple  bands  which  confined  the 
folds  being  close  about  the  upper  calf  of  the  leg.  They 
hung  in  a  large  bag  their  full  length  behind,  the  legs  were 
bare  and  the  feet  covered  by  embroidered  red  slippers 
somewhat  turned  up  in  front.  If  I  add  to  this  the  brass 
inkhorn  and  a  spoon  and  knife  stuck  in  the  girdle  of  silk 
of  many  colors,  a  little  white  of  the  shirt  seen  in  front, 
that  the  neck  was  bare,  brown,  and  strong,  that  his  age 
might  be  fifty,  that  he  was  large  and  fat,  with  a  kind 
though  cunning  expression  on  his  rather  well-formed  and 
full-bearded  face,  that  his  amber  mouthpiece  pipe 
was  never  out  of  his  hand,  you  have  as  good  a  description 
as  my  memory  allows  me  to  give  of  Shirarah,  the  Swedish 
interpreter. 

But  what  interested  me  more  than  all  was  the  manner 
of  his  inner  costume  or  way  of  dressing.  Everybody  can 
see  the  typical  Turk  in  the  outward  description,  but  it  is 
not  everyone  who  has  been  permitted  to  examine  the 
things  hidden  to  view.  First,  then,  is  the  headgear.  It  is 
incredible  what  a  mass  a  man  may  wear  on  his  head  in 

SO 


ALEXANDRIA 

Egypt  and  live.  Of  course,  as  is  well  known,  barring  the 
lock  by  which  he  shall  be  conveyed  to  the  region  of 
eternal  bliss,  every  true  believer's  head  is  shaved.  Next 
to  his  shaven  cranium  Shirarah  wore  a  white  linen  cap 
and  over  this  a  close-fitting  red  fez,  then  another  upon 
which  a  number  of  small  packages  were  fastened,  which 
he  told  me  were  amulets;  over  all  a  high,  heavy  red  fez 
with  a  large  blue  tassel,  round  all  he  wound  a  silk  scarf 
of  many  colors  at  least  eight  feet  long,  the  folds  of  which 
projected  some  three  inches  from  the  head;  inside  of  his 
girdle  he  wore  a  leather  belt  four  inches  broad,  in  which 
he  kept  his  choice  treasures,  especially  his  wives'  jewelry. 
His  usual  habit,  when  not  on  duty,  was  to  sit,  with  his 
legs  crossed,  on  the  deck  sipping  coffee,  which  I  made 
many  times  a  day  for  him,  and  smoking  his  pipe. 

Though  among  themselves  the  Arabs  and  Turks  seem 
to  prefer  their  coffee  finely  ground  and  served  thick  as 
chocolate,  Shirarah  and  his  friends  never  objected  to  my 
clear  and  carefully  prepared  beverage;  perhaps  they  had 
become  accustomed  to  it  by  frequent  visits  to  European 
ships. 

I  recollect  one  instance  of  their  hypocrisy  with  regard 
to  their  religious  tenets.  At  a  dinner  on  board  there  were 
spirits  and  wines,  as  well  as  ham,  offered  them.  Shirarah 
was  there  with  the  custom  officers  and  other  visitors  from 
the  city.  Swine's  flesh  and  I  believe  strong  drinks  are 
forbidden  the  faithful;  but  they  did  eat  heartily  of  the 
ham  as  it  was  not  called  pork,  and  did  full  justice  to  the 
liquids;  one  alone  refrained,  and  he  was  jokingly  called 
"  Mahomet's  man." 

There  stood  at  this  time  in  Alexandria  an  obelisk 
usually  called  Cleopatra's  Needle  and  beside  it  lay  a 
prostrate  one  that  had  lain  there  many  years;  I  believe 
the  former  is  now  standing,  a  mournful  monument  of 
archaic  zeal,  in  the  Central  Park  of  New  York,  the 
other  now  stands  erect  in  the  Place  de  la  Concord  in 

51 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Paris.  The  ship  constructed  to  transfer  this  to  French 
soil  was  even  then  lying  at  the  mole  with  an  enormous 
hole  or  opening  in  the  stern  for  its  reception.  The  trans- 
portation of  such  an  enormous  monolith  was  at  the  time 
considered  a  feat  of  some  consequence,  and  not  without 
reason  in  the  days  when  steam  was  not.  I  have  some- 
where read  that  the  Romans  who  laid  almost  the  rest  of 
the  world  under  tribute  to  beautify  their  city,  when  they 
wished  to  transfer  an  obelisk,  adopted  the  simple  plan  of 
lashing  it  to  a  raft  which  they  towed  with  oared  galleys, 
casting  their  tow  adrift  if  a  storm  came  up,  and  picking 
it  up  afterwards. 

One  day  the  captain  gave  me  leave  to  go  ashore  with 
two  of  the  sailors ;  the  permission  was  accompanied  with 
a  Spanish  dollar  out  of  my  wages,  and  which  I  was  at 
liberty  to  spend  as  I  pleased.  It  was  not  much,  but  little 
as  it  was  it  brought  me  trouble,  and  for  the  time  shut  the 
gates  of  Alexandria  against  me.  We  landed  at  the  mole 
all  agog  with  hope  of  enjoyment  on  a  fine  day  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1833.  A  crowd  of  half-naked  Arab  boys  sur- 
rounded us  with  their  donkeys  crying  out  at  the  top  of 
their  voices :  "  Rida  de  boricca,"  an  invitation,  meant  to 
be  in  Swedish,  to  ride  their  animals.  As  there  seemed  to 
be  no  other  way  of  getting  rid  of  their  importunities  we 
were  fain  to  accept  their  offers  and  mount.  As  usual  with 
sailors  on  shore  leave,  our  first  destination  was  a  wine 
shop.  I  do  not  recall  any  attempt  to  see  the  city  before 
dinner,  which  was  ordered  and  served  in  a  large  upper 
room,  the  stairs  to  which  led  almost  to  the  front  door. 
I  greatly  relished  the  dinner,  a  memorable  part  of  which 
was  a  kind  of  stew  or  ragout,  which  I  found  so  delicious 
that  after  the  meal  I  asked  of  what  it  was  composed. 
I  suppose  that  I  must  impute  to  healthy  youthful  hunger 
the  freedom  from  any  reflex  action  of  the  nerves  of  the 
stomach  analogous  to  seasickness  when  I  was  informed 
that  I  had  been  dining  on  rat.     This  may  have  been  a 

52 


ALEXANDRIA 

joke  on  me,  though  I  scarcely  think  so,  as  these  rodents 
were  plenty  in  Alexandria  about  the  granaries  that  sup- 
plied the  vessels  that  were  loading  cereals. 

After  dinner  I  left  my  companions  to  see  the  city  of 
strange  smells,  historical  interest,  and  jumble  of  still 
more  curious  and  picturesque  inhabitants.  My  dollar 
had  by  this  time  been  changed  into  little  thin  brass  discs 
called  piasters,  a  portion  of  which  had  been  invested  in 
the  dinner,  and  I  was  ready  to  mount  my  steed  again, 
the  boy  having  waited  till  I  came  out. 

I  had  great  desire  to  go  to  Pompey's  Pillar,  a  mag- 
nificent Corinthian  column  that  forms  so  striking  an 
object  as  seen  from  the  harbor.  My  muleteer  was  a 
villainous-looking  Arab  boy  several  years  my  senior, 
dressed  in  a  short  and  very  dirty  shirt,  with  fez  to  match, 
who  drove  his  animal  by  running  behind  and  accelerating 
its  speed  by  shying  sticks  and  stones.  It  had  been  under- 
stood between  us  that  for  a  consideration  amounting  to 
about  twenty  cents  he  would  take  me  to  the  column  and 
back.  I  was  not  long  in  finding  out  that  I  had  made  a  mis- 
take in  leaving  my  companions  and  trusting  myself  to  the 
keeping  of  this  young  Bedouin;  for  as  soon  as  we  had 
got  away  from  the  thickly  populated  part  of  the  city  he 
stopped  the  beast,  and  made  me  understand  that  unless 
I  paid  him  then  he  would  take  me  no  farther.  This  I  did, 
and  the  journey  was  continued  till  we  came  to  a  square 
in  the  upper  portion  of  the  city,  where  the  squalid  sur- 
roundings indicated  poverty  and  a  debased  condition  of 
the  inhabitants.  It  must  have  been  the  camping  ground 
of  both  boys  and  donkeys,  for  the  place  was  swarming 
with  both.  Here  another  halt  was  made  and  more  money 
demanded.  I  flatly  refused  to  be  imposed  on  longer, 
and  tried  to  make  him  understand  by  signs  and  the  little 
Latin  at  my  disposal  (which  seemed  to  serve  my  purpose, 
the  common  language  to  strangers  being  Italian)  that  he 
must  first  fulfill  his  promise  to  take  me  to  Pompey's 

53 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Pillar.  This  he  refused  to  do,  and  made  me  understand 
that  he  would  take  me  no  farther.  During  this  discus- 
sion, if  so  it  could  be  called,  there  had  gathered  round 
us  some  dozen  ugly  looking  donkey  boys,  who  began  to 
make  belligerent  demonstrations  with  whips  and  sticks. 
Thinking  my  life  was  menaced,  I  jumped  off  the  ass  and, 
drawing  my  pocket  knife,  I  swung  it  about  in  defiance  of 
the  whole  crowd. 

I  remember  thinking  of  Charles  the  Twelfth  at 
Bender,  and,  like  a  true  Swede,  I  intended  to  sell  my 
life  dearly.  Remember,  I  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age. 
Just  at  this  moment  a  gendarme  came  along  and,  seeing 
the  commotion,  inquired  of  my  boy,  as  I  suppose,  for,  of 
course,  I  did  not  understand,  what  was  the  matter. 
What  the  boy  said  I  do  not  know,  but  doubtless  nothing 
in  my  favor;  for  with  one  hand  in  my  collar  and  the 
other  much  lower  down,  he  suddenly  hoisted  me  into 
the  saddle,  telling  the  boy  to  lead  us,  the  understanding 
being  that  the  prison  was  to  be  the  goal.  The  situation 
was  far  from  agreeable  to  a  little  boy  who  had  heard 
terrible  stories  from  the  sailors  of  the  way  young  boys 
were  prepared  for  service  in  the  Pasha's  household,  and 
which  he  firmly  believed.  I  tried  to  make  the  officer 
understand  that  I  wanted  to  be  taken  to  Shirarah ;  I  sup- 
posed that  everybody  must  know  our  interpreter,  but  I 
do  not  think  he  understood  me.  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
escape  and  quite  suddenly  formed  my  plan.  My  Latin 
served  me  again  sufficiently  to  have  him  understand  that 
I  wanted  aqua  to  drink,  just  as  we  were  passing  the 
very  groggery  where  I  had  dined  with  my  friends.  Here 
he  permitted  me  to  descend  to  get  my  drink,  following 
close  at  my  heels;  but  as  soon  as  I  entered  the  house, 
instead  of  going  up  to  the  bar,  I  ran  as  fast  as  I  could 
up  the  conveniently  located  stairs  into  the  aforesaid 
upper  room.  Here  I  found  six  Swedish  sailors,  some  of 
whom  were  from  my  own  ship.    I  quickly  told  my  story 

54 


MY    FIRST    SHIP 
PAINTED    IN    1854 


FRIGATE    BY    MOONLIGHT 
PAINTED    IN    1873 


ALEXANDRIA 

and  they  scarcely  stopped  to  hear  the  end  before  they 
all  were  down  and  in  the  street.  One  of  them  caught  the 
donkey  boy,  tore  off  his  fez,  and  took  him  by  Mahomet's 
lock  with  one  hand  while  with  the  other  he  belabored  his 
face  till  the  blood  came;  meantime  the  officer  had  drawn 
his  saber,  but  it  was  twisted  out  of  his  hand  and  thrown 
into  the  street  by  another  sailor,  who,  having  grabbed 
him  by  the  ever-convenient  top  knot,  was  striking  the 
wall  with  his  head.  All  this  was  the  work  of  a  few 
moments,  while  I  stood  in  agony  begging  them  to  stop. 
The  street  was  crowded  with  people,  some  of  whom  wore 
swords,  but  no  one  interfered;  perhaps  because  there 
stood  four  Herculean  Scandinavians  ready  to  take  a  hand 
in  the  fray  if  it  should  become  necessary.  When  they 
thought  that  my  supposed  enemies  were  sufficiently 
punished  they  were  left  to  pick  up  their  caps  and  donkey 
and  take  themselves  oflF,  a  privilege  of  which  they  were 
not  slow  to  avail  themselves.  We  all  went  in,  had  a  glass 
of  wine,  paid  our  reckoning,  as  it  was  time  to  go  on  board, 
and  departed,  being  permitted  to  go  without  let  or 
hindrance. 

Seventy  years  of  my  life  have  run  their  course  since 
this  youthful  adventure,  but  it  left  so  deep  an  impression 
on  my  memory  that  it  seems  as  if  it  was  but  yesterday 
that  it  took  place.  Half  a  century  later  a  British  iron-clad 
fleet  drove  the  people  of  Alexandria  into  a  defensive  re- 
sistance against  encroachment  on  national  independence. 
It  was  deemed  a  brave  act  to  conquer  a  nation ;  but  when 
I  think  of  the  episode  I  have  just  related,  the  miserable 
humanity  that  composes  the  bulk  of  the  population,  their 
physical  weakness  and  utter  want  of  spirit,  the  result  of 
thousands  of  years  of  oppression  and  slavery,  I  fail  to 
see  the  glory  due  to  choice  English  armies,  led  by  able 
officers,  and  supported  by  an  unequaled  armor-clad  navy. 

Egypt  at  the  time  of  our  arrival  was  even  then  in 
the  midst  of  war.    Ali  Pasha  was  fighting  Turkey  for  his 

55 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

country's  independence.  Many  ships  in  the  harbor  were 
transporting  troops  to  the  scene  of  war,  and  opportunity 
for  study  of  the  live  material  was  not  wanting. 

The  great  outer  harbor  presented  a  magnificent  spec- 
tacle, being  full  of  transports  and  men-of-war.  Of  the 
latter,  three  or  four  were  seventy-fours,  with  three  tiers 
of  guns,  half  a  dozen  frigates,  several  corvettes  and  ves- 
sels of  minor  armament.  Above  all  loomed  a  line-of- 
battle-ship,  the  largest  in  the  world  in  commission  at  the 
time,  said  to  have  been  built  by  the  American  designer, 
Eckfort,  the  architect  of  the  "  Ohio  "  of  our  old  navy, 
the  handsomest  modeled  three-decker  that  ever  floated. 
This  ship  was  a  magnificent  sight,  with  her  five  tiers  of 
guns,  and  beautiful  proportions ;  I  believe  she  was  of  the 
same  character  and  dimensions  as  the  "  Pennsylvania" 
of  our  navy,  since  completed,  and  afterwards  condemned. 

One  great  gala  day  will  live  in  my  memory  forever. 
It  was  a  celebration  of  a  great  victory  over  the  Sultan's 
army.  Morning,  noon,  and  sunset  simultaneous  salutes 
were  fired  by  the  entire  fleet.  The  roar  of  the  cannon 
was  incessant,  but  nothing  but  smoke  could  be  seen, 
except  aloft,  where  thousands  of  gay  flags,  with  which 
every  ship's  "  top-hamper  "  was  decorated,  hung  languid 
in  the  dead  calm  produced  by  the  cannonading.  At  night 
the  scene  was  beautiful  beyond  description;  from  every 
porthole  and  from  lanterns  hung  aloft  where  flags  were 
hung  by  day  gleamed  lights  of  every  color — all  reflected 
in  the  mirroring  calm  of  the  dark  water,  the  clear 
Egyptian  firmament  taking  up  the  refrain  in  the  brilliancy 
of  its  glorious  constellations. 

More  than  once,  too,  I  saw  Mahemet  Ali  himself;  on 
one  occasion  when  in  his  barge  he  was,  as  was  his  fre- 
quent custom,  inspecting  the  fleet,  he  came  alongside  of 
our  ship,  remaining  quite  a  little  while,  giving  me  a  fine 
chance  to  have  a  good  look  at  him  (I  believe  there  had 
been  some  talk  of  chartering  our  ship  as  a  transport  for 

56 


ALEXANDRIA 

troops).  He  was  seated  in  the  stern  sheets  on  a  cushion, 
cross-legged,  smoking,  while  a  man  on  each  side  kept  the 
flies  off  with  long  feather  brushes.  He  was  the  hand- 
somest old  man  I  ever  saw,  his  beard  was  of  unusual 
length,  pure  white  and  flowing  over  his  vest,  while  his 
complexion  seemed  fresh  and  youthful.  The  last  I  saw 
of  him  was  when  soon  after  he  disappeared  through  a 
lower  porthole  of  a  seventy-four  ship  near  by  us. 

Once  I  was  permitted  to  accompany  the  captain  on  an 
excursion  to  a  cave  not  far  from  the  city.  It  was  popu- 
larly called  "  Joseph's  Granary,"  and  I  was  informed  that 
the  common  people  believed  that  it  had  been  one  of  his 
storehouses  in  Pharaoh's  time.  We  went  there  in  one 
of  the  ship's  boats,  landed  near  a  rocky  bluff,  where  the 
entrance  to  the  cave  was  situated;  we  had  provided  us 
with  a  ball  of  twine,  the  end  of  which  was  made  fast 
at  the  entrance  to  guide  us  on  our  return,  a  precaution 
which  I  afterwards  thought  wholly  unnecessary,  as  we 
were  provided  with  a  guide.  The  cave  was  dark  and  we 
carried  torches  and  a  pot  of  black  paint  with  which  to 
make  our  names  immortal.  I  have  no  distinct  recollec- 
tion noticing  anything  but  some  rectangular  stone  boxes 
said  to  have  been  receptacles  for  grain,  though  it  is  more 
probable  that  they  were  sarcophagi,  and  that  the  place 
had  been  a  catacomb.  We  explored  several  chambers 
connected  on  various  sides  by  narrow,  and  sometimes 
very  low,  passages.  At  last  one  of  these  opened  into  a 
large  circular  apartment  with  a  dome-like  ceiling,  on 
which  we  proceeded  by  the  aid  of  long-handled  tar 
brushes,  brought  from  the  ship,  to  paint  our  names  among 
hundreds  of  our  precursors  in  vanity;  we  were  not  over 
careful  of  the  fame  of  previous  visitors,  and  I  dare  say 
our  names  are  long  since  obliterated  by  our  successors. 
Some  officers  from  a  French  war  ship  were  with  us, 
among  whom  was  a  Swede ;  they  were  more  venturesome, 
penetrating  into  low  passages  on  their  hands  and  knees. 

57 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

They  told  us  on  their  return  that  there  were  many  more 
rooms,  in  some  of  which  were  bones  of  animals,  sup- 
posably  carried  there  by  dogs  or  jackals. 

One  cold  morning  as  I  was  about  to  prepare  the  cap- 
tain's coffee  I  happened  to  look  over  the  stern,  where  the 
jolly  boat  was  hanging  by  the  davits  just  out  of  the  water. 
To  my  surprise  a  naked  boy,  whom  I  at  once  took  for  a 
native,  sat  shiveringly  crouched  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  which  even  had  water  in  it  with  a  thin  sheet  of 
ice  over.  After  he  was  brought  on  deck  by  the  captain's 
order  and  warmed,  he  told  us,  or  rather  the  captain,  who 
understood  Italian,  that  he  had  escaped  by  swimming 
from  a  transport  ship,  having  been  forced  into  the  war 
service.  It  was  impossible  to  keep  him,  at  least  our 
captain  would  not  take  the  risk,  and  he  was  sent  back 
to  the  nearest  war  ship.  I  think  I  never  in  my  life  have 
had  my  sympathies  more  keenly  excited. 

We  were  loading  the  ship  with  brown  beans  in  bulk 
for  Leghorn,  and  the  hold  was  now  full.  The  time  had 
come  when  I  must  leave  this  classic  ground,  never,  as  it 
happened,  to  return. 


58 


LEGHORN,  RIGA,  AND   HOME 

IT  was  in  the  latter  part  of  April  when  our  heavy- 
laden  ship  weighed  anchor  and  I  saw  the  last  of 
Alexandria.  Our  passage  to  Leghorn,  where  we 
arrived  early  in  May,  was  in  the  season  when  Nature, 
both  on  sea  and  land,  is  on  her  best  behavior,  and  was 
made  without  incidence  worthy  of  record.  On  our  arrival 
we  were  quarantined  thirty-six  days,  as  we  came  directly 
from  a  cholera-infected  port.  Of  that  I  knew  nothing 
while  at  Alexandria,  or,  if  I  heard  of  it,  it  had  conveyed 
no  idea  of  danger.  It  was  the  first  season,  so  far  as  I 
know,  of  the  appearance  of  the  Asiatic  cholera  in  the 
West,  and  the  character  of  the  disease  was  comparatively 
unknown. 

I  remember  little  of  these  quarantine  days  except  un- 
interesting hospital  buildings,  and  the  excessive  heat, 
which  caused  the  rigging  to  drop  tar  and  the  pitch  in 
the  deck  seams  to  melt.  I  used  to  go  barefooted,  and  I 
remember  well  jumping  from  one  shady  spot  to  another, 
the  deck  planks  being  so  hot  that  it  was  painful  to  stand 
on  them.  I  have  also  a  remembrance  of  two  Italian 
rascals  in  shape  of  custom  house  officer  and  quarantine 
guard  who  used  to  take  advantage  of  my  youth  and 
ignorance  by  teaching  me  foul  language  in  Italian,  which 
I  was  anxious  to  learn,  in  reply  to  my  questions.  I  would 
ask  how  to  say  this  or  that  in  their  language,  and  receive 
some  blackguardisms  in  answer,  which  I  supposed  was 
all  right,  and  which  I  would  con  and  repeat  to  myself. 

59 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Happily  I  had  no  occasion  to  use  my  newly-acquired  in- 
formation. It  was  many  years  afterwards  that  I  learned 
the  full  extent  of  the  cheat. 

I  do  not  recall  much  of  Leghorn ;  but  I  remember  the 
beautiful  statue  of  Ferdinand  L,  with  a  splendidly- 
executed  Moor  slave  in  bronze  at  each  corner  of  the 
pedestal,  commemorative,  as  I  believe,  of  victory  over  the 
Turkish  pirates.  Leghorn  is  also  memorable  as  the  place 
where  I  bought  my  first  suit  of  clothes  with  my  own 
earnings;  it  was  a  beautiful  blue  suit  of  fine  broadcloth, 
with  three  rows  of  gilt  buttons  in  the  jacket  front,  and 
cost  eight  dollars,  almost  my  year's  wages,  but  I  thought 
it  was  a  daisy. 

After  having  discharged  our  beans  we  sailed  to  a 
place  in  Spain,  near  Alicante,  called  Torrevieja,  for  a 
load  of  salt  destined  to  Riga.  There  being  no  harbor,  we 
anchored  in  an  open  roadstead,  the  rock  salt  being 
brought  out  in  lighters  to  our  ship.  The  salt  was  handed 
up  to  us  in  baskets,  which  were  thrown  up  by  two  men 
to  a  staging  hung  on  the  vessel's  side  to  two  others,  who 
threw  the  baskets  on  board.  It  was  my  duty  to  throw 
the  empty  baskets  back  into  the  boats,  a  task  that  was 
very  unpleasant,  owing  to  my  bare  feet  having  to  step 
on  so  many  salt  crystals  scattered  over  the  deck.  I  could 
not  wear  shoes,  having  knocked  so  many  holes  in  my  toes 
against  the  ringbolts  in  the  deck. 

The  passage  to  Riga  was  without  event,  and  I  think 
we  must  have  arrived  some  time  in  September.  We 
anchored  first  at  Dunamunde,  where  the  customs  officers 
came  on  board  and  made  their  examination,  after  which 
they  put  seals  upon  the  hatches  and  departed.  The  next 
day  being  Sunday  we  remained  at  anchor  in  Dunamunde. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  captain  wished  to  move  some 
contraband  wine,  etc.  (which,  being  concealed  under  the 
salt,  had  escaped  the  vigilance  of  the  customs  officers), 
into  a  secret  hiding-place  in  the  cabin.    While  trying  to 

60 


LEGHORN,    RIGA,    AND    HOME 

bend  the  iron  hatch  bars  so  that  they  might  be  made  to 
spring  sufficiently  to  allow  the  hatch  to  be  taken  off, 
unfortunately,  one  of  the  seals  was  broken.  To  break  a 
Russian  custom  house  seal  was  no  trifling  matter,  and 
the  captain  seemed  to  be  at  a  loss  as  to  what  to  do. 
However,  the  goods  were  removed  and  put  into  the  re- 
ceptacle under  the  cabin  floor.  I  recall  that  some  of  the 
stuff  consisted  of  a  lot  of  cigars,  which  were  absolutely 
contraband  in  Russia  at  that  time,  and  I  observed  that 
the  captain  was  very  anxious.  A  signal  soon  brought  a 
custom  house  officer  on  board.  The  captain  met  the 
officer  with  a  rueful  face  and  informed  him  that  the  pig, 
which  was  running  about  on  deck,  had  torn  the  seal  ofi; 
of  course,  the  hatch  and  bar  had  been  replaced.  The 
story  appeared  to  be  credited,  a  new  seal  was  affixed, 
and  the  gentleman  was  invited  into  the  cabin  and  royally 
entertained  before  leaving  the  ship. 

The  next  day  we  arrived  in  Riga  and  soon  commenced 
to  discharge  our  salt.  As  fast  as  this  was  hoisted  up  in 
barrels  it  was  carried  off  on  the  backs  of  men  and  women ; 
it  requires  strength  to  carry  at  least  three-quarters  of  a 
barrel  of  salt,  and  yet  I  never  saw  them  eat  anything  but 
sour  black  bread  and  salt  at  their  meals. 

I  saw  enough  of  Riga  to  remember  it  as  a  gay  and 
lively  city,  and  a  veritable  Elysium  for  seafaring  people, 
by  the  account  of  it  I  heard  from  our  crew.  My  curiosity 
to  see  for  myself  led  me  to  ask  them  where  to  go  to  find 
their  place  of  amusement,  and  one  night,  after  the  cap- 
tain had  retired,  I  dressed  in  my  best,  left  the  ship  and 
crossed  the  river  on  the  bridge  of  boats  in  search  of 
Elysium.  I  had  been  told  to  take  such  and  such  streets 
till  I  heard  music  and  enter  the  house  whence  it  pro- 
ceeded. This  I  did,  finding  myself  in  a  great  dance  hall 
brightly  lighted  with  candles,  full  of  sailors  and  gaily- 
dressed  young  ladies  seated  all  round  the  room  waiting 
for  invitations  to  dance,  or  the  ball  to  open.    My  entrance 

6i 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

was  signaled  by  a  shout  from  some  of  my  shipmates,  and 
I  soon  found  myself  wedged  in  between  two  pretty  girls, 
who  seemed  to  immensely  enjoy  my  bashfulness  and 
burning  blushes.  I  was  dreadfully  ashamed  and  scared, 
and  as  quickly  as  I  could  got  away  from  their  embraces 
and  out  of  the  place,  making  my  way  back  to  the  ship 
as  fast  as  my  legs  would  carry  me,  happy  to  get  into  my 
hammock  in  the  storeroom. 

The  storeroom  had,  in  fact,  been  my  sleeping  place 
the  whole  voyage,  the  difference  between  the  accommo- 
dations on  the  passage  out  and  home  being,  that  on  the 
former  the  place  was  so  full  of  provisions  that  I  had  to 
creep  in  and  sleep  as  best  I  could  among  the  bread  and 
pease  bags,  while  on  the  home  passage  there  was  room 
enough  to  hang  a  sort  of  improvised  hammock.  But, 
truth  to  tell,  I  went  to  bed  every  night  so  tired  and  sleepy, 
having  to  wait  on  the  captain  so  late,  that  I  could  have 
slept  in  a  tub  of  water. 

I  remember  one  kind  act  of  the  captain  while  in  Riga; 
he  took  me  to  the  theater.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had 
been  to  a  regular  public  theater.  I  did  not  understand  a 
word,  the  play  being  in  German,  but  everything  I  saw 
interested  me  greatly.  My  absorbed  attention  appeared 
to  amuse  him,  especially  my  answer  to  his  question  as  to 
how  I  liked  it:  that  I  thought  it  better  than  Meanders, 
which  was  the  house  where  I  had  seen  my  mother  play 
in  our  amateur  theater  at  home. 

From  Riga  we  returned  in  ballast  to  Sundsvall,  where 
I  was  again  a  free  boy,  after  a  servitude  of  thirteen 
months,  the  hardest  it  was  ever  my  lot  to  endure.  I  was 
paid  off  with  what  in  United  States  money  would  equal 
$1.25  for  one  month's  pay ;  at  least  one-third  of  my  hard- 
secured  earnings  being  deducted  for  broken  crockery. 

After  a  short  stay  at  home  I  again  shipped  as  cabin 
boy;  this  time  in  the  same  schooner  in  which  I  made  my 
first  trip.     During  this  voyage,  however,  no  favor  was 

62 


LEGHORN,    RIGA,    AND    HOME 

shown  me,  as  I  was  supposed  to  know  my  duty;  and  as 
the  captain  was  exacting,  and  endowed  by  Nature  with  a 
hasty  and  violent  temper,  and  as  my  ambition  did  not  lie 
in  the  direction  of  the  duties  of  a  valet  or  even  a  maid- 
of-all-work  (the  ordinary  duty  of  a  cabin  boy),  I  had  a 
harder  time  of  it  than  ever.  But  I  will  not  write  of  cruel- 
ties I  hate  to  think  of.  Our  destination  was  to  Kiel,  then 
a  Danish  possession,  now  so  well  known  as  the  principal 
naval  station  of  Germany.  It  was  winter  when  we  re- 
turned, and  December  is  not  a  pleasant  month  in  which 
to  navigate  the  Baltic  Sea.  Suffice  it,  that  I  endured 
every  misery,  and  that  I  came  home  about  a  week  before 
Christmas  half  starved  with  cold,  and  my  clothes  infested 
with  lice!  This  ought  to  have  dampened  my  ardor  for 
"  a  life  on  the  ocean  wave,"  and  it  did  some ;  but  I  had 
chosen  my  path  and  now  there  was  no  returning. 

I  remained  at  home  this  winter  (1833-34)  and  went 
to  school  again,  more  particularly  for  mathematics  and 
French  and  German,  and  also  to  read  for  my  first  com- 
munion, being  now  fourteen  years  of  age.  During  this 
winter  my  general  conduct  was  far  from  irreproachable, 
having  got  into  the  company  of  some  older  boys  of  bad 
habits.  This  caused  my  step-father  to  try  to  correct  me 
again,  but  this  time  I  resisted  so  effectually  that  he  re- 
tired ingloriously  from  the  field,  the  exertion  having 
brought  about  an  attack  of  asthma,  to  which  he  was 
liable.  But  our  mutual  dislike  made  my  mother  so  un- 
happy that  I  made  up  my  mind  to  leave  home  for  good, 
and  one  day  in  the  spring  I  went  to  my  step-father  and 
announced  my  determination  to  seek  my  fortune  in 
America.  He  seemed  at  first  disposed  to  question  my 
right  to  choose  for  myself,  but  finally  told  me  to  go  to 
even  a  warmer  climate  than  any  in  America.  And  thus 
we  parted  forever. 

I  had  heard  much  from  the  sailors  of  the  United 
States,  that  Eldorado  of  high  wages,  luxurious  living, 

63 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and,  above  all,  the  general  good  usage  in  American  ships ; 
the  idea  was,  therefore,  not  new;  still,  I  do  not  think  I 
would  have  left  my  beloved  mother  for  good  had  it  not 
been  to  keep  peace  in  the  family. 

I  cannot  leave  my  childhood  home  without  a  word 
about  our  Christmas.  They  make  much  of  this  season  in 
Sweden.  In  the  country  among  the  farmers  open  house 
used  to  be  kept  up  from  Christmas  till  Twelfth  Day.  In 
prosperous  families  a  large  table  stood  with  big  brown 
loaves  of  soft  bread.  Yule-bread,  butter,  cheese,  and 
cake,  with  the  invariable  brandvin  (spirit)  flask,  nor  was 
the  great  family  silver  beaker,  with  its  foamy  top  of  home- 
brewed ale,  far  to  seek.  This  was  eighty  years  ago; 
things  may  be  different  now.  There  is  a  sort  of  degenera- 
tion that  waits  on  "  better  times  "  which  has  even  reached 
Ultima  Thule.  I  do  not  believe  that  progress  is  always 
improvement,  and  I  question  if  the  influence  of  the  sew- 
ing machine  and  many  other  American  domestic  inven- 
tions, now  common  among  the  population,  have  had  a 
more  salutary  influence  on  their  hearts  and  moral  charac- 
ter than  the  old  spinning-wheel  or  loom.  Very  likely,  too, 
by  this  time  the  ancient  Christmas  hospitality  has  also 
been  improved  away. 

The  Christmas  tree  and  Santa  Claus  were  not  common 
in  that  part  of  the  country  where  I  was  born.  Perhaps 
spruce  trees  were  too  plenty  out  of  doors  to  care  to  have 
them  in  the  house.  On  Christmas  Eve  supper  was  usually 
served  at  8  o*clock.  When  possible,  at  such  a  time,  near 
relatives  were  guests  at  the  family  mansion.  We  all  sat 
down  after  the  oldest  child  of  the  family  had  said  the 
regulation  grace. 

The  meal  consisted  invariably  of  two  courses,  the 
first  being  lyed  cod,  cured  without  salt,  usually  called 
stockfish  from  its  hardness.  It  was  soaked  in  lye  for 
weeks,  till  it  became  a  mass  of  white  fibers,  then  the  lye 
was  carefully  washed  away ;  it  was  boiled  and  eaten  with 

64 


LEGHORN,    RIGA,    AND    HOME 

white  sauce.  The  second  course  consisted  of  rice  or 
barley  grits  boiled  in  milk  to  the  consistency  of  pudding. 
It  came  to  the  table  in  a  large  dish  slightly  sprinkled 
with  sugar  and  cinnamon,  and  was  eaten  with  milk  from 
soup  plates.  In  my  younger  days,  I  think  that  I  may 
safely  aver,  no  family  in  Sweden,  unless  foreigners,  were 
served  with  any  other  kind  of  supper  on  Christmas  Eve. 

How  old  this  custom  may  be,  or  whence  it  came,  I 
know  not;  perhaps*  it  is  a  reminder  that  the  first 
Christians  were  fishermen  and  poor.  After  all  had 
finished  their  supper,  while  perhaps  still  at  table,  the 
Christmas  presents  were  distributed.  I  remember  one 
happy  occasion  when  all  our  resident  family  connections 
were  with  us,  that  the  door  suddenly  opened  with  a 
fracas,  and  a  much-befurred  Santa  Claus  threw  in  a 
great  hamper  full  of  packages  and  disappeared;  but  this 
was  an  innovation  got  up  by  my  uncle,  a  merchant 
familiar  with  southern  and  foreign  customs.  All  re- 
tained their  seats  until  the  distribution  was  finished, 
when  the  fun  began.  By  half  past  ten  all  are  in  bed,  for 
we  must  rise  early  next  morning.  In  that  country  at 
Christmas  time  there  is  no  fear  of  thaw  or  rain,  though  a 
snow-storm  would  be  no  stranger;  but  storm  or  stars, 
at  6  o'clock  Christmas  morning  all  are  up  and  dressed 
ready  for  church.  Ah,  with  what  pleasure  I  recall  the 
sound  of  the  sleigh-bells  as  the  kibitka  was  driven  up  to 
the  front  door!  We  are  all  muffled  up  in  furs  and  great 
coats,  the  children  with  reindeer  moccasins,  called 
Lapp  shoes,  on  their  feet,  for  the  church  was  never 
warmed,  and  its  temperature  was  often  below  zero;  all 
pile,  helter  skelter,  into  the  mass  of  hay  with  which  the 
vehicle  is  almost  filled.  Away  we  go,  the  music  of  the 
sleigh  bells  playing  soprano  solos  to  the  harmonious  ac- 
companiment of  the  runners  as  they  glide  over  the  crisp 
snow,  and  to  which  the  horses'  feet  keep  cadent  time.  Ar- 
riving at  the  church,  we  find  the  plain  and  solemn  edifice 

65 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

dressed  in  a  blaze  of  glory.  From  every  window  streams 
the  light  of  hundreds  of  candles  set  in  pierced  wooden 
slats  in  rows  across  them.  Entering,  we  behold  all  the 
curiously-wrought  brass  chandeliers  which,  by  heavy  iron 
rods,  are  suspended  from  the  vaulted  ceiling,  fully  lighted ; 
from  every  part  of  the  house  of  God  comes  the  mellow 
light  to  give  joy,  and  temper  the  icy  atmosphere.  A  joy- 
ful peal  of  bells  greet  us  as  we  enter  the  vestibule,  but 
the  full  force  of  the  effect  on  the  expectant  nerves  comes 
only  when  the  organ,  skillfully  played  by  a  real  master, 
greets  the  new-born  Christ,  making  the  whole  building 
tremble  with  thundering  harmonies.  There  is  no  paid 
choir;  all  sing  the  simple  choral  hymns  with  pious 
ecstacy.  The  service  is  simple,  but  impressive,  and,  after 
a  short  sermon,  dismissed  with  a  blessing,  we  return 
to  a  warm  and  cosy  fireside  with  welcome-waiting 
breakfast. 

Thus  was  the  Christmas  season  initiated,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  almost  constant  feasting  and  merry-making,  for 
during  Yule-tide  no  one  thought  of  business  or  ordinary 
affairs.  Balls,  dinners,  suppers,  spectacular  entertain- 
ments, and  every  sort  of  amusement  drove  dull  care 
away.  The  Swedes  are  a  fun-loving  people;  their  desire 
for  wealth,  I  believe,  is,  or  at  least  was  in  my  younger 
years,  rather  that  they  might  enjoy  the  pleasures  of 
life  than  for  sordid  love  or  even  power  or  pride  of 
possession. 

In  my  native  city  there  were  no  liveries,  each  owned 
his  own  horses,  cows,  sheep,  and  pigs.  A  large  number 
of  our  citizens  were  fishermen,  not  poor,  but  well-to-do; 
people  who  every  summer  moved  their  families  out  to  the 
surrounding  skerries  where,  during  the  fishing  season, 
great  quantities  of  a  kind  of  herring  peculiar  to  the  Baltic 
Sea  were  taken,  salted,  and  barreled  for  the  market.  The 
stromming,  which  is  the  name  given  to  this  species  of 
fish,  forms  the  most  important  article  of  food,  especially 

66 


LEGHORN,    RIGA,    AND    HOME 

among  the  laboring  people  throughout  the  country;  the 
business  was,  therefore,  lucrative.  The  salmon  fisheries 
were  important,  for  during  summer  it  was  the  staple  food 
and  largely  took  the  place  of  meat  in  families  that  could 
afford  it.  Brokers  and  banks  there  were  none.  Men 
carried  their  earnings,  as  it  were,  in  their  pockets,  and 
what  banking  business  was  required  was  done  in  the 
larger  cities  by  regular  correspondence. 

The  family  life  was  simple  enough;  frugality  was  a 
necessity,  not  only  on  account  of  scarcity  of  money  but 
of  scarcity  of  provisions  also,  for  the  neighboring  yield  of 
food  was  scanty,  and  well-tt)-do  families  depended  largely 
on  their  own  resources.  Until  government  monopolized 
the  spirit  trade,  we  distilled  our  own  brandvin 
(whiskey).  We  brewed  our  own  ale  and  domestic  beer, 
for  a  mild  kind  of  beer  was  used  instead  of  water,  which 
was  seldom  drank  by  anybody.  This  always  stood  in  a 
large  decanter  on  the  sideboard  in  the  house.  Just  inside 
of  the  kitchen  door  stood  a  large  wooden  tankard  con- 
taining it,  and  a  convenient  iron  dipper  for  common  use. 

We  made  our  own  candles.  The  hard  bread  in  use 
was  baked  twice  or  possibly  thrice  a  year,  and  meat  was 
salted  down  and  prepared  for  winter's  use.  We  even 
made  our  own  starch  from  potatoes.  These  industries 
required  special  buildings,  which,  with  those  needed  for 
the  business,  were  erected  around  a  common  yard,  which 
they,  in  fact,  wholly  enclosed. 

Our  family  life  was,  as  I  remember,  happy  and  harmo- 
nious. The  house  was  large  and  commodious.  The  lower 
story  contained  our  business  room,  kitchen,  and  living 
rooms;  while  the  two  great  rooms  in  the  upper  story 
were  devoted  almost  exclusively  to  festal  occasions.  One 
of  these  was  never  used  except  for  balls  or  large  parties, 
while  the  other  was  the  usual  place  where  our  great 
dinners  were  given.  Though  habitually  frugal  in  our 
family  life,  no  expense  was  spared  then,  and  it  was  far 

67 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

from  uncommon  to  have  thirty  or  forty  guests  for  dinner. 
As  the  dining  hour  on  state  occasions  was  about  2 
o'clock,  there  was  plenty  of  time  to  occupy  in  cards  and 
other  enjoyments  until  supper  time,  about  9  or  10,  after 
which  the  guests  took  their  departure. 

During  these  festivities  the  children  were  not  ex- 
cluded or  sent  to  bed.  We  romped  and  played  in  our 
own  quarters,  played  cards  and  forfeit  games.  In  this 
way  the  long  winter  evenings  passed,  and  long  they 
were,  for  candles  were  lighted  at  3  o'clock. 

In  summer,  during  the  haying  season,  we  lived  in  the 
country,  where  my  grandfather  had  a  little  farm 
with  a  well-built  and  commodious  villa,  beautifully  sit- 
uated on  the  river  side.  Here  I  fished,  and  here  some  of 
the  pleasantest  memories  of  my  life  are  centered.  Here 
our  festivities  were  frequent  during  the  summer,  as  it 
was  but  three  miles  from  the  city  and  the  drive  or  boat- 
ing equally  pleasant. 

Birthdays  were  not  so  much  the  occasion  of  festivities 
in  Sweden  as  name-days.  The  day  in  the  calendar  when 
your  name  occurred  was  much  more  grandly  kept.  Then 
flags  were  hoisted,  and  if  a  cannon  could  be  procured  or 
borrowed  from  a  ship  in  the  harbor  it  was  made  to  do 
its  intended  duty  to  its  full  extent. 


68 


VI 

EXPATRIATION 

IT  was  late  in  June,  1834,  when  I  left  my  native  city 
to  be  the  wanderer  I  since  have  been.  My  resources 
were  not  large.  All  the  cash  my  mother  could  com- 
mand the  day  I  left  my  home  she  gave  me.  In  American 
currency  it  amounted  to  seventy-five  cents !  But  money 
I  did  not  need,  for  I  had  abundance  of  clothing,  my  box, 
among  other  necessaries,  containing  no  fewer  than*  a 
dozen  linen  shirts;  my  passage  was  already  engaged  to 
be  paid  for  in  work,  and  my  mother  had  taken  care  to 
procure  me  a  letter  to  an  influential  friend  in  Stockholm, 
which  was  (as,  indeed,  the  event  proved)  pretty  sure  to 
obtain  me  speedy  employment. 

Hitherto  I  have  said  nothing  about  my  sisters,  of 
whom  I  had  three,  two  whole  sisters  and  one  half-sister; 
not  because  I  did  not  greatly  care  for  them,  but  because 
they  have  had  little  connection  with  my  own  history,  be- 
yond the  common  family  ties.  Christina  Wilhelmina,  the 
elder,  nearly  two  years  my  junior,  was  a  bright  flaxen- 
haired  girl,  with  a  temper  and  an  unyielding  spirit  under 
the  rod,  which  was  faithfully  and  frequently  applied  by 
our  mother;  but,  like  many  of  that  nature,  generous  to  a 
fault,  and  angelic  when  not  crossed.  My  second  sister, 
Martha  Lovisa,  was  of  a  mild  and  yielding  disposition, 
beautiful,  slender,  with  light  brown  hair,  Grecian  type  of 
features,  and  mild  blue  eyes  always  full  of  love  and  the 
heavenly  radiance  of  her  soul.  She  was  some  two  years 
younger  than  the  other,  and  my  frequent  quarrels  with 
Mina  generally  originated  in  my  desire  to  defend  Lovisa 

69 


FROM    FORECASTLE    TO    ACADEMY 

• 
against  her  caprices.  How  I  loved  that  sister  I  never 
knew  till  she  was  past  loving.  My  half-sister,  Johanna 
Sofia,  whose  acquaintance  I  was  to  make  later,  was  but 
two  years  old  when  I  left  home.  My  grandparents  lived 
in  a  small  house,  and  with  them  lived  old  Marta,  who  had 
spent  her  whole  youth,  and  even  old  age,  in  the  service  of 
our  family,  forty  years  in  all!  The  leave  I  took  of  my 
grandfather  and  grandmother  was  very  painful  and 
affecting,  and  it  proved  the  last  one;  but  old  Marta  sur- 
vived them,  and  was  still  a  member  of  the  family  when  I 
returned  on  a  visit  six  years  after.  At  parting  she  kissed 
me  affectionately,  pressing  a  small  bill  into  my  hand.  It 
was  a  small  gift,  not  fifty  cents,  but  ever  remembered. 
Thus,  having  bid  my  mother  and  sisters  my  last  farewell, 
I  sailed. 

On  my  arrival  at  Stockholm,  I  presented  my  letter, 
was  well  received,  and  a  place  was  found  for  me  at  once. 
Indeed,  I  did  not  leave  the  vessel  I  came  in,  except  to  go 
on  board  the  bark  "  Prudent "  of  New  York,  my  new- 
found home.  The  "  Prudent "  was  a  small  vessel  of  250 
tons  burden.  She  was  old  and  far  from  swift,  but  she  was 
commanded  as  no  ship  I  ever  sailed  in  afterwards  was. 
Captain  Thomas  Moriarty  —  with  what  a  mingled  pride, 
pleasure,  and  sorrow  I  write  the  dear  name  —  was  nearly 
sixty,  six  feet  tall,  and  of  Herculean  proportions,  florid 
face,  short  gray  hair,  large  and  somewhat  prominent  blue 
eyes,  and  a  full  set  of  magnificent  white  teeth.  His  wife 
was  with  him,  a  small  and  slender  lady,  well  advanced  in 
years,  but  whose  sparkling  black  eyes  and  refined  fea- 
tures proved  that  in  her  youth  she  must  have  been  beau- 
tiful. Her  hair  was  dark,  and  a  pleasant  and  benevolent 
smile  usually  sat  on  her  somewhat  careworn  coun- 
tenance. I  was  kindly  received  by  them  both,  and  a 
comfortable  berth  in  the  steerage  was  appointed  to  me  — 
the  first  time  in  my  marine  life  that  I  had  known  the 
luxury  of  a  regular  bed.     Here  I  could  be  alone  when  my 

70 


EXPATRIATION 

duties  were  done,  and  here  I  conned  over  my  lessons  in 
trying  to  acquire  the  English  language,  of  which  I  knew 
not  a  word^when  I  came  on  board. 

The  ship  lay  several  weeks  in  Stockholm  taking  in  a 
cargo  of  bar  iron,  and  as  I  began  to  be  acquainted  with 
the  men  on  board  I  felt  quite  happy  in  my  new  environ- 
ment. Several  of  the  crew  were  Swedes,  and  the  second 
mate  was  a  Dane;  thus  I  found  some  assistance  in  my 
first  struggles  with  my  new  language,  and  the  captain 
gave  orders  that  no  one  should  speak  anything  but  Eng- 
lish to  me.  There  was  a  boy  on  board,  older  and  bigger 
than  I,  who  became  my  companion,  and  very  kind  and 
useful  he  proved  to  be.  His  name  was  Putnam  Coffin, 
and  he  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.  We  used  to  call  him 
Put.  I  remember  having  asked  the  second  mate  how  to 
ask  the  name  of  things  in  English,  and  that  he  told  me  to 
say:  "  Vat  you  call  dat  un?  "  his  own  English  being  lame 
to  that  extent.  So  I  went  on  boring  my  friend  Put  with 
that  question  till  I  knew  the  name  of  everything  I  could 
see  to  point  at.  I  made  me  a  little  memorandum  book  by 
folding  and  stitching  together  a  few  sheets  of  writing 
paper,  in  which  I  wrote  down  phonetically  the  answers  to 
my  questions,  memorizing  at  night,  on  retiring,  what  I 
had  written  during  the  day.  This  gave  me  quite  a 
vocabulary  of  nouns,  but  I  found  them  quite  insufficient 
for  want  of  other  parts  of  speech,  which  could  not  be 
learned  in  the  same  way.  After  I  had  been  on  board  a 
few  days  the  captain  handed  me  a  letter  from  home.  He 
was  sitting  with  his  wife  on  a  settee  in  front  of  the  upper 
cabin.  I  began  to  read  the  letter,  and  it  brought  grief. 
My  dear  sister  Lovisa  was  dead,  had  died  of  water  on  the 
brain  after  a  short  illness.  Mrs.  Moriarty,  seeing  me 
weep,  asked  me  what  the  matter  was.  Although  I  did 
not  understand  the  spoken  words,  her  sympathizing  and 
inquiring  looks  interpreted  them,  and  I  sobbed  out,  "Min 
syster  ar  dod  "  (my  sister  is  dead).    The  words  were  so 

71 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

nearly  alike  that  I  was  readily  understood,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  I  got  credit  for  having  already  learned  some  Eng- 
lish. In  due  time  we  were  loaded  and  ready  for  sea.  As 
at  that  time  permission  from  the  government  was  neces- 
sary to  emigrate,  and,  as  I  had  none,  I  had  to  be  smuggled 
away,  and  I  hid  in  the  chain-locker  when  the  officer 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  proper  regulations  were 
observed  came  on  board  before  the  ship  could  sail.  It 
must  have  been  in  the  latter  part  of  August  when  we 
sailed,  and  I  was  bidding  a  permanent,  if  not  eternal,  fare- 
well to  my  beloved  native  land.  I  found  the  difference 
between  my  American  master  and  my  former  Swedish  to 
be  quite  radical.  Instead  of  being  beaten,  I  was  treated 
with  gentleness,  both  by  the  captain  and  his  wife,  who, 
when  she  was  well  enough  to  be  about,  took  great  pains 
to  teach  me  her  language. 

I  am  here  reminded  of  a  question  which  the  late  Dr. 
J.  G.  Holland  once  asked  me — what  my  first  impression 
of  Americans  was.  My  answer  was,  that  they  were  good 
natured.  My  sixty-eight  years'  acquaintance  with  them 
has  not  only  confirmed  my  childhood's  belief  in  their  gen- 
tleness, but  I  am  now  ready  to  add  that  their  good  nature 
is  only  equaled  by  their  intelligence  and  courage. 

But  to  return  to  my  English  education.  The  captain's 
wife  was  not  my  only  preceptor.  The  mulatto  cook  took 
me  in  his  particular  charge,  and  devoted  his  spare  time  to 
giving  me  private  lessons.  In  truth,  I  owe  much  to  him, 
for  his  zeal  was  indefatigable  and  his  patience  without 
bounds.  He  was  a  iirst-class  cook,  one  of  the  kind  that 
knew  so  well  how  to  use  his  time  that,  though  everything 
was  ready  at  the  appointed  time,  both  for  the  cabin  and 
forecastle  (for  he  was  steward  also,  and,  indeed,  he  was 
always  so  called),  he  never  seemed  hurried,  or  even  very 
busy.  From  2  till  5  P.  M.  he  would  sit  and  smoke 
his  pipe  in  the  galley,  a  m.odel  of  neatness  and  cleanliness 
in  surroundings   and  person.     He  was  fond  of  telling 

72 


EXPATRIATION 

stories,  and  I  was  a  willing  listener,  the  only  drawback 
being  that  I  understood  so  little  of  what  he  said ;  but  this 
would  onlyL^  redouble  his  effort  to  make  me  understand. 
Once  I  recollect  he  was  telling  a  long  story,  not  one  word 
of  which  I  could  understand,  but  the  word  horse  occurred 
so  often  that  I  caught  the  sound,  and,  suspecting  that  the 
keynote  to  the  whole  lay  in  that  word,  I  finally  asked  him 
what  a  horse  was.  His  astonishment  at  my  ignorance 
was  boundless,  and  he  justly  deemed  that  I  had  not  suc- 
ceeded, with  all  my  earnest  attention,  in  getting  the  nub 
of  the  story.  "  Dono  what  a  horse  is  ? "  was  his 
question  as  soon  as  he  could  recover  from  his  surprise.  I 
shook  my  head.  It  was  a  noun  I  had  no  means  of  learn- 
ing, since  no  animal  of  the  genus  equus  was  on  board,  my 
research  in  philological  science  having  hitherto  been  con- 
fined to  the  discovery  of  English  names  of  objects  within 
the  range  of  vision.  "  Dono  what  a  horse  is  ?"  he  re- 
peated. "  Why  —  a  horse  is  —  a  horse,  a  horse,  a  horse," 
each  time  with  more  emphasis  and  louder.  No  go.  The 
increased  volume  of  sound  did  not  bring  the  animal  up  to 
my  mental  perception.  For  a  moment  he  seemed  in 
despair,  then  a  brilliant  idea  flashed  upon  him.  Seizing 
a  piece  of  chalk  he  drew  on  the  stove  pipe  a  fair  resem- 
blance of  a  horse.  The  smile  of  satisfaction  that  lighted 
up  his  semi-African  features  at  my  intelligent  "  Ah !"  was 
beautiful  to  behold.  The  difficulties  now  became  more 
rare,  since  we  could  exchange  hieroglyphics,  but  there 
was  much  to  be  done  to  correct  my  barbarous  pronuncia- 
tion. For  example,  I  could  hear  no  difference  between 
"  think  "  and  "  tink,"  or  "  that "  and  "  dat."  However, 
after  devoting  an  hour  of  his  afternoon  leisure  to  my 
sense  of  hearing  and  vocal  gymnastics,  the  difficulty  was 
got  over,  and,  happily,  for  all  time.  Had  he  but  known 
Walker's  method  with  foreigners,  what  time  and  trouble 
would  have  been  saved. 

I  have  devoted  more  space  to  this  subject  than  its  im- 

73 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

portance  may  seem  to  warrant,  but  the  task  of  learning  a 
new  language  without  dictionary,  grammar,  or  any  other 
book  of  instruction  in  a  couple  of  months  is  not  an  easy 
one,  and  almost  every  night,  when  I  retired  to  my  lonely 
bunk,  did  I  feel  ashamed  of  my  slow  progress.  "  Shall  I 
ever  learn  to  speak  English  ? "  was  the  burden  of  my 
thought.  I  had  a  short  story  called  "  The  Post  Captain  " 
that  I  first  essayed  to  read,  but,  having  nothing  to  guide 
me  but  a  Johnson  pocket  dictionary  (all  English,  of 
course),  it  did  not  help  much;  by  perseverance  in  reading, 
whether  I  understood  or  not,  I  at  last  got  the  hang  of 
what,  to  my  young  mind,  was  a  very  amusing  story.  My 
next  effort  was  of  a  more  serious  nature :  "  The  Three 
Spaniards,"  an  old  romanza,  full  of  horrors,  mysteries, 
Moorish  castles,  murders,  and  ghosts.  Before  the  end  of 
the  voyage  I  had  read  the  three  volumes  twice.  I  cannot 
say  with  truth  that  the  story  was  made  very  plain  to  my 
understanding  at  the  first  reading,  though  the  derivatives 
from  the  Latin  and  French,  with  which  the  English  lan- 
guage abounds,  together  with  the  many  words,  nearly 
identical  to  my  own  tongue,  enabled  me  to  guess  at  its 
contents  sufficiently  to  make  me  continue  to  the  end ;  but 
after  the  second  reading  of  a  book  I  never  have  had  any 
difficulty  in  understanding  any  ordinary  English  publica- 
tion. It  was,  however,  several  months  before  I  could, 
with  any  degree  of  fluency,  hold  a  conversation.  On  our 
passage,  which  was  pleasant,  and  without  any  heavy 
storms,  we  passed  to  the  north  of  Scotland,  and,  while 
sailing  through  Pentland  Frith,  the  narrow  strait  which 
separates  the  mainland  from  the  Orkney  Islands,  we  were 
favored  with  beautiful  weather.  Wind  and  tide  contend- 
ing with  each  other,  during  a  large  part  of  the  day,  I  had 
ample  opportunity  to  enjoy  the  variegated  scenery  of 
beetling  rocks  and  rugged  hills,  between  which  nestled 
green  spots  with  human  interest  in  the  form  of  cottages 
and  fishing  crafts,  with  here  and  there  a  slender  spire. 

74 


EXPATRIATION 

Our  vessel  soon  became  an  object  of  interest  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  region,  and  presently  we  were  surrounded 
with  boats, ^e  owners  of  which  offered  to  barter  fish  and 
knit  goods  for  salt  pork  and  tobacco,  commodities  they 
valued  above  all  else. 

On  this  passage  I  had  the  good  luck  to  witness  a  total 
eclipse  of  the  sun.  Our  position  must  have  been  about  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic,  and  it  may  have  been  early  in  Oc- 
tober. At  2  P.  M.,  as  near  as  I  can  remember,  the  sun  was 
wholly  obscured,  only  a  slight  luminosity,  the  corona, 
telling  of  its  place  in  the  heavens.  I  remember  holding  a 
lantern  to  enable  the  captain,  who  never  omitted  chances 
for  astronomical  observations,  to  read  his  instruments. 

The  first  indications  that  we  were  approaching  the  end 
of  our  passage  was  the  greenish  color  of  the  water  on  the 
banks  of  Newfoundland ;  the  wind  had  died  away  almost 
to  a  calm ;  soundings  were  taken,  and  a  snooded  cod  hook 
was  attached  to  the  line.  The  lead  struck  bottom  at  sev- 
enty fathoms,  and  when  it  was  drawn  up  we  were  de- 
lighted to  see  it  accompanied  with  a  large  and  welcome 
cod. 

As  we  were  bound  to  Somerset,  Mass.,  the  first  land 
made  was  Block  Island.  We  passed  Newport  in  the 
morning  of  a  beautiful  autumn  day,  and  early  in  the 
afternoon  were  safely  moored  at  the  little  stone  dock  in 
Somerset. 


75 


VII 

THE  UNITED  STATES 

IMMEDIATELY  on  our  arrival  we  were  met  by  two 
of  the  captain's  daughters,  one  about  seventeen 
years  of  age,  the  other  fifteen,  just  my  own  age,  a 
tall  and  beautiful  young  lady  with  dark  hair  and  sparkling 
black  eyes,  charming  manners,  and  a  most  musical  voice, 
with  whom,  of  course,  I  instantly  fell  in  love.  During  the 
absence  of  their  parents  these  young  ladies  had  been  at 
school  at  Charlestown,  in  a  convent,  which  just  before  our 
arrival  had  been  burnt  down  by  a  mob.  Naturally  they 
were  interested  in  the  Swedish  boy,  but  Aldebaran  was 
not  more  distant  than  our  position,  which,  however,  did 
not  prevent  my  secret  worship.  They,  with  their  mother, 
preceded  us  to  New  York  by  ordinary  mode  of  travel, 
and  I  met  them  afterwards  at  the  captain's  house,  when 
I  was  properly  introduced  by  their  mother;  but  imagine 
their  surprise  when  I  deliberately  proceeded  to  kiss  the 
hands  they  extended  me  to  shake.  However,  their 
mother  explained  to  them  that  it  was  the  custom  in  my  na- 
tive land  thus  to  greet  ladies  when  calling.  I  have  since 
learned  that  this  act  of  politeness  no  longer  obtains  there. 
Dear  old  sleepy  Somerset!  Among  my  other  mem- 
ories I  recall  that  here  I  first  swallowed  a  live  oyster,  a 
delicacy  up  to  this  time  only  known  by  reputation.  I 
also  made  the  discovery  that  hard  cider  was  not  wholly 
a  temperance  beverage,  having  taken  copious  draughts 
from  a  two-gallon  demijohn  that  the  captain  sent  on 
board,  the  result  of  which  was  that  I  got  drunk  and  had 
to  go  to  bed. 

76 


THE    UNITED    STATES 

After  discharging  the  iron  into  lighters  for  Fall 
River,  where  the  cargo  was  to  go,  but  where,  for  want  of 
sufficient  water,  the  bark  could  not  go,  we  sailed  in  ballast 
to  New  York  via  Long  Island  Sound.  I  think  we  were  in 
some  danger  of  being  wrecked  at  Hell  Gate  on  account 
of  an  unusually  strong  tide,  but  we  arrived  in  safety. 

On  the  passage  an  old  sailor  took  fancy  to  a  linen 
pillow  case,  part  of  my  outfit  from  home,  for  which  he 
promised  to  take  me  to  the  theater,  or,  as  he  called  it, 
the  play,  when  we  should  get  to  New  York.  He  fulfilled 
his  promise  the  first  evening  after  we  landed  by  taking 
me  to  the  Park  Theater  and  into  one  of  the  best  seats  in 
the  boxes,  the  entrance  fee  being  one  dollar.  The  first 
piece  was  called  "  The  Barber  of  Seville" ;  I  don't  think  it 
could  have  been  the  opera,  as  I  don't  remember  any  sing-* 
ing;  as  I  now  recall  it,  it  must  have  been  a  farce.  The 
afterpiece,  however,  is  still  fresh  in  my  memory,  being  a 
Swede  and  a  boy  so  late  from  home.  It  was  called 
Charles  the  Twelfth,  and  represented  a  historical  episode 
connected  with  the  siege  of  Stralsund  on  his  way  home 
after  his  unfortunate  Russian  campaign.  One  scene  in- 
terested me  exceedingly;  where  a  bomb  crashes  through 
and  explodes  in  an  adjoining  room  to  that  where  the  king 
is  dictating  to  his  secretary,  who  in  terror  starts  and 
drops  the  pen,  while  his  royal  master,  utterly  unmoved, 
continues  his  dictation.  "What's  the  matter?"  asks  the 
king.  "  Ah !  Sire,  the  bomb  !"  "What  has  the  bomb  to 
do  with  what  you  are  writing?  Go  on!"  A  singular  co- 
incidence, that  this  should  take  place  the  first  day  of  my 
arrival  at  New  York  and  that  it  should  be  my  first  ex- 
perience in  an  American  theater. 

I  remember  committing  many  mistakes  on  my  first 
landing  in  New  York,  the  results  of  ignorance  of  the 
language  arid  of  the  strange  world  I  lived  in.  I  asked 
for  paper  in  a  store  and  they  handed  me  pepper;  I  went 
to  a  bar  and  asked  for  a  glass  of  Madeira,  and  they 

77 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

handed  me  the  decanter  and  tumbler.  I  filled  it  to  the 
brim,  and  they  made  big  eyes  at  me  and  charged  me 
ten  cents,  the  ordinary  price  of  a  drink  at  the  bar  being 
three  cents,  and  all  I  expected  to  pay.  I  bought  a 
hundred  cigars  for  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  and  found  it  im- 
possible to  smoke  them;  an  air  pump  could  not  have 
forced  air  through  the  cabbage  leaves  of  which  I  suppose 
they  v^ere  made. 

I  had  a  glorious  baptism  while  we  were  lying  at  the 
pier  in  the  East  River.  A  ship  came  in,  and  was  about 
to  moor  to  the  same  pier  that  we  lay  at.  It  became 
necessary  to  make  fast  a  hawser  to  one  of  our  after  bits, 
which  I  offered  to  do,  so  getting  outside  of  the  bulwark 
I  stood  on  the  plank  sheer  to  catch  the  end  of  the  hawser 
when  it  should  be  thrown  to  me.  I  caught  it,  but,  being 
heavy,  and  the  edge  I  stood  on  being  covered  with  light 
snow,  it  dragged  me  off  into  the  river.  Even  as  I  fell 
I  heard  the  cry :  "  Save  the  boy !"  but  as  I  immediately 
emerged,  hawser  in  my  hand,  they  shouted :  "  Never 
mind,  he  can  swim."  I  swam  to  the  wharf,  got  into  a 
boat  and  ashore  none  the  worse  for  my  involuntary  bath. 

While  in  New  York  at  this  time  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  drop  my  surname,  as  it  gave  me  so  much  trouble  and 
annoyance  among  strangers.  Always  the  question  was 
asked  me :  "  How  do  you  spell  it?"  As  I  was  not  familiar 
with  English  spelling,  not  even  with  the  English 
alphabet,  I  found  it  troublesome  to  give  intelligent 
answers ;  but  knowing  that  my  name  of  Lars  was  equiva- 
lent to  Laurentius,  or  the  common  name  of  Lawrence  in 
English,  I  simply  inverted  my  Christian  names,  and  be- 
came, instead  of  Lars  Gustaf,  Gustavus  Lawrence,  and 
by  which  name  I  have  always  been  known  in  my  sea- 
faring days.  How  I  came  to  take  back  my  surname  will 
be  told  later. 

The  bark  "  Prudent "  belonged  to  an  old  New  York 
firm,  that  of  Putnam  &  Slocum.     They  had  an  office 

78 


THE    UNITED    STATES 

near  Old  Slip,  where  we  used  to  lie.  After  a  couple  of 
weeks  we  were  ordered  to  Savannah,  where  we  arrived  in 
the  earlier  ^art  of  December.  The  climate  there  was 
delightfully  warm  and  sunny.  It  was  my  first  acquaint- 
ance with  the  institution  of  slavery,  and  I  well  remember 
the  righteous  indignation  I  felt  to  think  that  one  man 
should  have  the  right  to  hold  another  in  slavery.  Of 
course,  I  knew  that  slavery  existed  in  the  world,  and  in 
our  Southern  States,  but  in  my  northern  home  I  had  not 
realized  its  full  import,  or  that  it  had  a  mitigating  side 
or  aspect.  I  had  a  more  terrible  idea  of  it  than  what  I 
saw  justfied,  for  it  had  ever  in  my  imagination  been  asso- 
ciated with  chains,  nakedness,  and  stripes.  I  could  not, 
therefore,  at  first  realize  that  the  jolly  blacks  who  were 
swarming  about  the  docks  were  bondsmen,  and  yet  they 
were  so. 

It  was  the  law  in  Savannah  that  free  colored  men  be- 
longing to  ships  in  port  must  be  confined  in  jail  till  the 
ship  was  ready  to  sail.  Our  steward,  a  very  bright 
mulatto,  was,  nevertheless,  permitted  to  remain  on  board, 
though  I  believe  he  did  not  venture  to  go  ashore.  I  got 
much  valuable  information  from  this  intelligent  friend. 

I  learned  that  many  of  the  negroes  .whom  I  saw  were 
stevedores  and  dock  laborers,  who  paid  their  masters 
twelve  dollars  a  month,  being  allowed  to  keep  what 
more  they  could  earn  for  themselves.  As  their  regular 
wages  was  two  dollars  per  day,  and  they  seemed  to  be 
nearly  always  employed,  their  condition  seemed  better 
than  that  of  some  of  the  poor  in  my  own  country,  espe- 
cially as  in  case  of  sickness  or  physical  incapacity  the 
masters  were  obliged  to  care  for  them ;  and  as  these  folks 
sometimes  lived  to  a  great  age  the  arrangement  was  often 
of  more  advantage  to  the  poor  darkey  than  to  his  owner. 
I  am  writing  this  now  that  all  is  over ;  after  the  emancipa- 
tion of  the  blacks;  and  when  the  constitution  of  our 
country  extends  its  protecting  aegis  alike  over  its  white 

79 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and  colored  citizens,  and  I  firmly  believe  that  the  ad- 
vantage is  quite  as  much  with  the  former  white  master 
as  his  once  black  slave;  certainly,  until  the  new  order  of 
things  has  enabled  the  latter  to  take  his  place  in  the 
struggle  of  life  with  some  chance  for  equality.  Quite 
sure  am  I  that  no  intelligent  Southerner  would  again  be- 
came the  owner  of  human  cattle. 

The  cotton,  with  which  the  vessel  was  loading,  came 
in  large  bags,  which  were  reduced  to  their  minimum  of 
bulk  with  jackscrews  operating  on  the  ends  of  large 
beams  that  pushed  the  bales  into  spaces  otherwise  im- 
possible. The  effect  was  to  raise  the  deck  in  the  middle 
several  inches,  and  must  have  strained  the  ship  greatly. 
The  screws  were  worked  by  negroes  in  gangs  of  four  in 
sitting  position,  operating  the  handles  of  the  horizontal 
machine  to  some  rhythmical  measure  of  their  own  im- 
provisations, gay  and  apparently  happy.  It  was  while 
here  that  I  had  the  first  compliment  on  my  English,  at 
least  so  I  took  it.  This  was  from  my  quondam  teacher, 
the  steward :  "  You  talk  just  like  one  of  those  niggers," 
he  said.  This,  though  I  suspected  the  sinister  character 
of  the  compliment,  gave  me  pleasure,  for  was  it  not  en- 
couraging to  be  able  in  four  months  to  speak  like  a  native ! 

Our  destination  was  Marseilles,  which  we  reached 
after  a  sixty-day  passage,  during  which  my  captain  con- 
tinued to  treat  me  almost  as  a  son,  even  giving  me  in- 
struction in  navigation,  of  which  he  was  an  accomplished 
master.  It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  astronomical  calculations 
were  his  sole  amusements.  Novels  there  were  none;  the 
only  book  akin  to  light  literature  I  remember  distinctly 
was  a  copy  of  "  Salem  Witchcraft,"  by  Upham,  an  im- 
proved edition  of  which  is  now  in  my  library — a  presented 
copy  by  the  author,  with  whose  family,  strangely  enough, 
I  was  to  become  connected  by  marriage,  and  who,  as 
long  as  he  lived,  honored  me  with  his  intimate  friendship. 

Captain    Moriarty    preferred    lunar    observations    to 

80 


THE    UNITED    STATES 

chronometers  in  his  navigation;  in  fact,  they  seemed  to 
be  a  hobby  with  him.  Night  or  day,  whenever  the  aspect 
of  the  sky  was  suitable  for  observation,  he  was  on  hand 
with  his  precious  sextant,  summoning  the  two  mates  to 
bring  their  quadrants  and  me  to  take  the  time  with  his 
watch ;  I  seem  to  hear  him  yet  calling :  "  Gustavus, 
Lunars !"  Chronometers  were  real  luxuries  in  those  days, 
especially  in  smaller  vessels,  though  in  the  navies  and 
the  best-appointed  ships  in  the  merchant  marine  they 
had  long  been  in  common  use.  Captains  of  more 
economically  furnished  crafts,  who  were  not  skilled  in 
astronomical  calculations  found  their  way  across  the 
sea  by  dead  reckoning,  getting  their  correct  longitude 
from  other  ships  which  they  might  chance  to  meet,  by 
asking  for  it,  either  viva  voce,  or,  if  too  far  off  for  that, 
by  writing  with  chalk  on  the  outside  of  the  bulwark,  so 
as  to  be  read  by  a  spyglass.  I  remember  meeting  an 
English  vessel  in  midocean,  when  we  were  hailed  by  its 
captain  with:  "Bark,  ahoy!  What's  your  longitude?" 
The  answer  was  roared  through  our  captain's  trumpet. 
The  question  came  again:  "Have  you  a  chronometer?" 
"  No !  I  have  the  sun  and  moon,  better  than  all  your 
chronometers,"  was  Moriarty's  answer.  Although  our, 
lack  of  that  valuable  instrument  was  probably  due  to 
economical  reasons  on  the  part  of  the  owners,  I  verily 
believe  that  had  one  been  offered  him  he  might  have 
declined  it  as  an  insult,  or  at  least  a  reflection  on  his 
nautical  science. 

He  early  taught  me  to  assist  him  in  his  calculations, 
and  it  became  my  duty  to  observe  the  time  by  the  watch, 
while  he  himself  often,  if  there  was  much  sea  on,  to 
steady  his  hand,  would  lie  flat  on  his  back,  sextant  in 
hand  observing  the  angular  distance  between  the  sun 
and  moon,  or  in  the  night  the  moon  and  a  fixed  star, 
while  the  chief  mate  took  the  altitude  of  the  sun  or  star, 
the  lesser  divinity  being  left  to  the  second  mate;  and 

Si 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

well  I  remember  the  clear,  ringing  voice  of  the  captain 
as  he  cried  out,  "  Time,"  which  I  instantly  noted  down. 
Under  favorable  circumstances  five  observations  were 
taken,  the  mean  of  them  being  the  basis  of  the  calcula- 
tions for  the  time  at  Greenwich,  which  the  chronometer 
is  made  to  give.  The  rest  of  the  work  was  done  by  the 
captain  in  the  cabin,  and  here  he  found  further  use  for 
my  services.  As  everyone  knows  who  is  acquainted 
with  mathematics,  logarithms  play  an  important  part  in 
calculations,  and  to  find  these  in  the  tables  was  my  task. 
This  saved  both  time  and  eyes  for  him,  while  it  gave  me 
a  fair  insight  into  the  whole  business;  in  fact,  I  learned 
sufficiently  of  navigation  in  this  way  to  enable  me  in 
after  years  to  accept  the  post  of  mate.  I  recall  one  occa- 
son,  however,  when  my  assistance  did  not  save  time. 
It  was  long  after  midnight;  I  had  been  aroused  from 
sleep  by  the  usual  cry  of :  "  Gustavus,  lunars !"  A  clear 
moon  and  Fomalhaut  conveniently  situated  had  attracted 
"  The  Old  Man."  A  fine  series  of  observations  were  got, 
and  our  usual  work  in  the  cabin  was  near  its  close  when 
he  found  a  serious  error  in  the  reckoning,  and  the  work 
had  to  be  done  over  again.  After  careful  investigation 
it  was  discovered  that  I  had  given  a  number  from  the 
top,  when  it  ought  to  have  been  read  from  the  bottom 
of  the  logarithmical  tables.  He  did  not  scold  me,  but 
patiently  completed  the  calculation.  Perhaps  he  consid- 
ered my  extra  loss  of  sleep  a  sufficient  punishment  for 
my  carelessness. 

The  passage,  on  the  whole,  was  a  pleasant  one  and 
without  unusual  incident.  After  passing  Gibraltar  we 
skirted  the  Spanish  coast,  most  of  the  time  within  sight 
of  land,  the  Granada  range  of  mountains  furnishing 
many  charming  views ;  for  we  were  often  near  enough  to 
the  shore  to  see  some  of  the  cities  and  villages  as  we 
passed  by,  and  picturesque  feluccas  were  everywhere  in 
sight. 

82 


THE    UNITED    STATES 

We  entered  Marseilles  on  a  charming  day  in  early- 
spring,  and  I  shall  never  forget  my  admiration  and  de- 
light with  all  I  saw  in  that  wonderful  port. 

We  were  moored  head  and  stern  near  the  mole  in  the 
inner  basin  where,  as  was  the  custom  in  many  European 
cities,  no  fire  was  permitted  on  board  of  ships.  In  many 
places  regular  kitchens  are  built  on  shore  near  the  docks, 
where  the  ship's  cooking  is  done  by  the  ship's  own  cook ; 
but  here  our  meals  were  all  sent  properly  prepared  by 
caterers  from  the  city,  and  as  the  food  was  of  excellent 
quality,  and  nicely  served,  it  followed  that  it  was  a  very 
acceptable  change  from  the  regular  ship's  fare. 

While  at  Stockholm  a  milch  goat  had  been  procured, 
from  whom  it  had  been  part  of  my  regular  duties  to  ex- 
tract the  lacteal  fluid,  having  learned  the  art  in  my  for- 
mer voyage  in  the  "  Petrus."  Nannie  was  still  with  us  on 
this  voyage,  continuing  her  contribution  to  the  captain's 
breakfast,  but  even  before  we  got  to  Marseilles  the  sup- 
ply had  given  out.  She  was  condemned  to  be  converted 
into  mutton,  and  while  the  execution  was  afoot  a  begging 
friar  came  on  board  and  asked  the  captain  for  the  viscera, 
which  were  readily  given  him.  In  reply  to  a  question  as 
to  what  he  would  do  with  the  stuff,  he  said  that  every 
part  of  it  was  good  food  if  properly  prepared.  This 
answer  produced  a  strong  impression  on  my  captain,  who 
was  a  devout  Catholic.  Hereafter  when  a  pig  was  killed 
for  our  Sunday  sea-pie,  nothing  was  thrown  away. 
**  What  was  good  for  these  holy  men  was  good  enough 
for  him." 

The  preparation  of  poor  piggy's  insides  was  not  en- 
trusted to  the  cook ;  to  this  he  gave  his  personal  attention. 
All  must  be  converted  into  sausages ;  of  course,  my  assist- 
ance was  required,  and  it  became  my  very  disagreeable 
duty  to  cleanse  and  prepare  the  intestines,  into  which 
heart,  liver,  lights,  and  stomach  were  stuffed,  after  being 
chopped  fine  with  sweet  herbs  and  other  seasoning;  even 

83 


FROM    FORECASTLE    TO    ACADEMY 

the  blood  was  made  use  of.  I  am  constrained  to  admit 
that  we  made  quite  palatable  sausages.  Later  on,  the 
Sunday  sea-pie  gave  way  to  turtle  soup,  which  for  the 
remainder  of  the  passage  constituted  our  hebdomadal 
feast  for  all  hands. 

I  have  omitted  to  mention  that  on  our  entrance  into 
the  Mediterranean,  during  a  calm,  we  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  capture  seven  green  turtles  while  they  were  lying 
asleep  on  the  top  of  the  water.  When  one  was  seen,  the 
jolly-boat  was  lowered  with  two  men,  one  sculling  slowly 
and  silently,  the  other  in  the  bow  reaching  over  ready 
to  grasp  the  prey  to  which  the  boat  was  gliding,  and  so 
quickly  was  the  operation  performed  that  the  poor  tor- 
toise was  in  the  boat  before  he  was  awake.  On  our  re- 
turn to  the  United  States  I  had  the  pleasure  of  a  glimpse 
of  the  Azores,  over  which  the  beautiful  Peak  of  Pico 
towers  nearly  8,000  feet.  We  did  not  stop,  and,  though 
some  boats  approached  from  shore,  I  do  not  recall  any 
communication  with  their  crews.  We  arrived  in  New 
York  in  the  latter  part  of  June.  Here  the  vessel  was 
put  into  the  screw-dock  at  the  foot  of  Pike  Street  to  be 
cleaned  and  overhauled,  I,  of  course,  remaining  on  board. 
The  process  of  hauling  the  ship  up  into  the  dry  dock  on 
an  inclined  way  by  steam  power  excited  my  utmost  ad- 
miration. 

I  spent  my  first  Fourth  of  July  in  New  York,  in  com- 
pany with  a  lot  of  boys  in  Mulberry  Street,  then  a  com- 
paratively respectable  quarter,  and  I  have  a  vivid  recol- 
lection of  the  fun  we  had  with  the  Chinese  fire-crackers, 
up  to  that  date  entirely  unknown  to  me. 

On  the  next  voyage,  the  captain  took  with  him  a 
grandson,  who  soon  became  jealous  of  his  preference  for 
me  in  trying  to  use  him  as  assistant  in  his  navigation 
as  he  had  done  with  me,  but  either  because  he  was  less 
intelligent  or  more  careless  the  captain  would  some- 
times get  impatient  and  call  me  to  take  his  place.    This 

84 


THE    UNITED    STATES 

made  him  dislike  me,  and  he  took  the  ungenerous  re- 
venge of  backbiting  me  and  even  impeaching  my  honesty, 
till  I  was^driven  into  the  forecastle  in  disgrace;  and 
although  after  a  while  he  must  have  seen  his  mistake, 
for  I  was  called  back,  it  never  was  between  us  as  before, 
and  I  resolved  to  leave  as  soon  as  we  should  get  back  to 
New  York. 

When  we  arrived  at  Marseilles,  whither  we  again 
were  bound,  I  was  still  in  disgrace,  but  it  suited 
my  humor,  as  at  all  times  I  preferred  the  life  in  the 
forecastle  to  that  of  the  cabin,  wishing  to  learn  my  duty 
as  a  seaman.  The  cholera  was  raging  at  this  time  in 
Marseilles,  and  the  first  evening  after  leaving  the  port 
two  of  our  crew  were  down  with  it.  One  of  them  was 
a  Frenchman,  the  other  a  German,  quite  a  young  man, 
with  apparently  a  robust  constitution.  As  the  captain 
was  the  only  ship's  doctor,  he  was  called,  and  at  once 
administered  the  usually  prescribed  remedies  from  the 
medicine  chest,  leaving  some  to  be  given  at  stated  times 
during  the  night,  detailing  me  to  nurse  them.  After 
administering  the  dose  prescribed  about  midnight  I  fell 
asleep  and  did  not  awake  until  after  4  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  I  was  aroused  by  the  entrance  of  the  captain, 
coming  down  to  look  at  his  patients.  In  answer  to  his 
question  as  to  their  condition,  rubbing  my  eyes,  I  said 
I  thought  the  German  chap  must  be  better,  he  was  so 
sound  asleep.  "  I  should  think  he  was,"  was  his  angry 
reply;  "he  is  dead;  you  have  murdered  him,  you  little 
rescal."  I  really  felt  guilty  at  the  time,  but,  on  mature 
reflection,  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  if  the  danger 
was  so  imminent,  he  was  to  blame  in  trusting  the  man's 
life  to  a  boy's  ability  to  keep  awake  all  night;  it  is  a 
thing  that  I  -don't  believe  any  healthy  boy  can  do.  I 
dare  say  that  nothing  could  have  saved  the  man,  as  it 
was  evidently  a  case  which  the  French  call  foudroyant. 
The  Frenchman,  after  several  weeks,  fully  recovered.     I 

85 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

had  been  excused  from  all  other  duty  to  attend  to  him 
day  and  night  all  through  his  illness.  We  were  now 
bound  for  Palermo,  but,  as  we  were  from  a  cholera  in- 
fected place,  it  became  necessary  to  go  into  quarantine 
for  two  weeks  at  Malta,  in  order  to  enter  Palermo  with 
a  clean  bill  of  health. 

My  recollection  of  Malta  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  of 
my  life,  although  I  was  not  permitted  to  put  my  foot  on 
shore  while  there ;  but  there  was  pleasure  in  the  very  air, 
and  the  magnificent  grapes,  of  unlimited  quantity,  that 
I  had  to  eat  I  shall  always  remember.  Even  now,  after 
a  lapse  of  more  than  half  a  century,  my  mouth  waters 
as  I  think  of  a  half  bushel  of  the  finest  grapes  I  ever  saw 
for  a  quarter  of  a  dollar!  All  that  could  be  seen  of  this 
celebrated  island  from  the  quarantine  ground  were  the 
walls  of  the  fortifications,  the  stone  walls  of  the 
lazaretto,  and  I  recollect  wondering  where  all  the  de- 
lightful fruit  grew. 

The  quarantine  being  over,  we  moved  into  the 
ordinary  harbor  of  Valetta,  where  we  remained  a  couple 
of  days  at  anchor.  While  lying  here  I  was  greatly 
amused  by  the  little  brown  gamins  who  used  to  dive  from 
the  numerous  boats  that  almost  always  hung  around  us 
for  money  thrown  into  the  water.  They  never  failed  to 
catch  the  coin  before  it  had  sunk  three  or  four  feet 
down,  on  account  of  the  zigzag  motion  it  made,  which 
caused  it  to  sink  slowly,  and  the  perfect  transparency  of 
the  clear  water  making  it  easy  for  their  sharp  eyes  to 
follow  their  prey. 

Palermo,  as  all  know,  is  a  beautiful  city,  charmingly 
situated,  and  having  a  delightful  climate.  Its  spacious 
port  was  bristling  with  vessels  of  all  sorts  and  nations; 
but  all  I  can  remember  is  a  sort  of  dissolving  view  of 
kaleidoscopic  delight;  and  yet  a  few  of  its  features  live 
indelibly  in  my  memory.  Of  these  I  will  mention  two — 
the    cemetery    under    the    Capuchin    convent,    and    the 

86 


THE    UNITED    STATES 

Queen's  Garden,  as  it  was  then  called.  The  friends  who 
took  me  to  the  former  did  not  tell  me  what  I  was  to  see, 
and  it  was^ith  the  light  heart  and  joyous  spirit  of  a  boy 
ashore  on  liberty  that  I  passed  down  those  broad  and 
well-lighted  marble  steps  and  found  myself  in  a  light 
and  spacious  vaulted  hall  of  great  length.  Ranged 
along  the  walls  on  either  side  hundreds  of  departed 
brothers  of  the  order  clad  in  the  brown  robes  in  which 
they  had  lived  their  lives,  the  hoods  of  which  still  shaded 
their  bronze-colored  skulls  that  seemed  to  frown  upon 
me;  some  even,  whose  cowls  had  fallen  back  and  whose 
skulls  had  been  twisted  or  bent  by  time,  had  a  humorous 
look,  as  if  mocking  me ;  you  could  fancy  hollow  whispers 
coming  from  their  grinning  jaws  in  derision  at  our  youth 
and  full-fledged  physical  strength.  I  need  not  say  that 
I  was  horrified  at  first,  though  the  feeling  soon  gave 
way  to  curious  wonder.  I  did  not  then  know  that  I  was 
looking  at  one  of  the  celebrated  curiosities  of  the 
Christian  world.  At  the  farther  end,  in  glass  cases,  beau- 
tifully dressed  and  crowned  with  flowers,  were  the  re- 
mains of  women,  some  even  with  golden  ornaments,  said 
to  have  been  virgins,  or  else  rich  spoils  of  Death. 

From  these  gruesome  mementi  mori  we  went  forth 
into  the  glad  sunlight  to  revel  in  the  beauties  of  an 
Italian  garden,  full  of  all  sorts  of  trees,  most  of  which 
were  unknown  to  me.  Oranges  were  plenty,  but  I  recall 
being  particularly  interested  in  a  pomegranate  tree. 
There  were  at  nearly  every  step  the  usual  trick  surprises 
of  an  Italian  garden,  such  as  hidden  showers  of  water, 
etc.,  too  well  known  to  need  description,  but  interesting 
enough  to  a  boy  of  my  age.  After  these  and  some  other 
sights  we  proceeded  to  dine  together,  our  dinner  consist- 
ing of  sausages  and  macaroni,  washed  down  with 
marsala,  or,  as  it  was  called  then,  Cicily  madeira.  The 
wine  was  served  in  tumblers,  and  that's  the  reason  why 
I  don't  remember  anything  of  the  end  of  the  dinner. 

87 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

After  the  second  glass  the  room  began  to  get  into  a  sea- 
way, as  we  say  at  sea ;  but  I  remember  holding  on  to  the 
sausages,  though  the  macaroni  kept  getting  away  from 
me;  my  last  recollection  is  trying  to  pick  it  up  from  the 
floor.  About  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  awoke  to  find 
myself  partly  undressed  on  a  bed  and  wondering  where 
I  was.  I  got  up  and  put  on  my  clothes,  felt  in  my  pockets 
for  my  money,  but  found  none  there;  I  afterwards 
learned  that  my  shipmates  had  appropriated  what  little 
I  had,  and  when  I  complained  they  gave  me  a  franc, 
which  I  don't  remember  how  I  spent.  The  first  part  of 
the  day  had  been  pleasant  enough,  but  I  can't  say  so 
much  for  the  last. 

After  taking  in  a  cargo  of  wine,  macaroni,  teasels,  oil, 
and  sulphur,  we  weighed  anchor  for  New  York  the  21st 
of  October,  1835.  The  passage  proved  a  long  one,  and, 
as  I  had  to  go  back  into  the  cabin,  to  me  far  from  agree- 
able. I  remember  one  circumstnce  when  trying  to  make 
our  way  against  a  head  wind  out  of  the  Straits  of  Gib- 
raltar. As  is  well  known,  the  current  there  sets  in 
strongly  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  In  company  with 
quite  a  fleet  of  other  ships  we  had  been  beating  against 
the  wind  without  making  headway  enough  to  stem  the 
current,  only  a  Dutch  galliot  succeeded  in  getting  out, 
and  she,  because  having  lee-boards  and  drawing  but 
little  water,  could  go  nearer  the  shore. 

This  time  on  leaving  the  Straits  the  southern  route 
was  chosen,  and  thus  it  came  to  pass  that  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  getting  a  glimpse  of  the  Canary  Islands  and 
the  Peak  of  Teneriife,  which,  if  not  the  highest  is  one 
of  the  most  imposing  in  the  world,  rising,  as  it  seems  from 
a  distance,  directly  out  of  the  ocean  to  the  height  of 
nearly  10,000  feet  in  solitary  grandeur. 

Nothing  in  travel  can  be  more  delightful  than  a 
passage  by  a  comfortable  sailing  ship  in  the  trade  winds 
on  a  westward  course.     The  balmy  air,  and  the  fresh 

88 


THE    UNITED    STATES 

breeze  blowing  with  a  never-varying  regularity,  as 
dressed  in  all  her  canvas  glory  from  sky-sail  down  to 
lower  studding-sail  the  trim  ship  cleaves  the  sparkling 
waves  with  a  regular  and  gentle  movement  which  never 
interferes  with  locomotion. 

Our  captain,  however,  was  a  very  prudent  man,  and 
every  night  at  8  o'clock  the  royals  were  furled  and  the 
yards  sent  down.  The  main  royal  was  my  daily,  or  I 
should  say  nightly,  task,  and  so  expert  did  I  become  that 
it  seldom  took  me  more  than  ten  minutes  to  finish 
the  job. 

Thus  I  became  a  very  expert  man  aloft,  and  soon 
learned  the  duties  of  a  seaman,  even  before  I  had  physical 
strength  to  perform  them  all.  After  we  neared  the 
American  shore  we  often  had  calms,  and  it  was  very 
interesting  to  watch  the  quantities  of  gulf-weed  with  its 
enormous  proportion  of  minute  marine  animals,  thou- 
sands of  which  could  be  hauled  up  in  a  dip  of  a  bucket. 

I  had  not  then  so  much  as  heard  of  the  Sargasso  Sea, 
and  only  years  afterward  did  I  know  that  I  had  seen  it. 
What  I  found  among  the  seaweed  of  animal  life  was 
mostly  minute  crustaceans  of  various  forms  living  in  a 
tangle  of  floating  seaweed  that  seemed  to  grow  in  the 
sea  far  from  any  land.  Ignorant  of  natural  history  I 
looked  at  those  things  as  mere  food  for  curiosity.  The 
appearance  of  the  sea  was  strange;  at  times  we  seemed 
to  sail  through  meadows  rather  than  an  ocean,  the  vege- 
table fields  reaching  quite  out  of  sight,  even  though  we 
were  only  on  the  outskirts  of  the  great  vortex  on  which, 
owing  to  the  direction  of  the  currents,  almost  every  kind 
of  flotsam  is  doomed  everlastingly  to  remain. 

When  a  couple  of  hundred  miles  south  of  Bermuda 
one  of  the  worst  northern  storms  I  have  ever  experienced 
met  us.  We  were  more  than  a  week  lying  to  under  bare 
poles,  with  the  helm  lashed  alee.  The  sea  ran  high,  but 
it  blew  so  hard  that  the  tops  of  the  waves  were  blown 

89 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

off  horizontally.  This,  mingling  with  the  rain  from  the 
tempestous  clouds,  made  life  on  deck  anything  but 
pleasant.  Nor  could  a  fire  be  kept  up  in  the  galley,  so 
that  we  had  to  eat  raw  pork  on  our  bread,  and  nothing 
else.  I  recollect  the  captain  had  a  kettle  with  an  alcohol 
lamp  with  which  I  was  set  to  make  him  a  cup  of  coffee, 
but  the  ship  took  a  sudden  lurch  that  sent  me,  kettle  and 
alcohol,  in  a  general  muss  to  the  lee  side  of  the  cabin, 
after  having  first  been  sent  to  windward.  It  was  the  last 
of  the  alcohol,  and  "  The  Old  Man  "  was  furious  at  the 
loss  —  especially  as  it  was  likely  that  the  storm  would 
continue  several  days  longer;  but  I  cannot  see  that  I 
was  to  blame. 

When,  after  an  eighty-two  days'  passage,  we  reached 
our  destination,  the  31st  of  December,  1835,  we  found  a 
large  part  of  the  city  a  mass  of  smoking  ruins.  From 
Old  Slip  to  the  North  River  but  one  building  was  stand- 
ing. This  was  said  to  have  been  fireproof  —  all  the  rest 
were  leveled  as  far  as  the  Battery.  Cotton,  coffee,  tea, 
all  sorts  of  merchandise,  were  still  smouldering  from  that 
fearful  fire  of  the  25th  of  December,  1835,  a  memorable 
day  for  those  who  did  business  in  New  York  at  that  time. 


90 


VIII 

ADRIFT 

I  LEFT  the  ship  here,  and  remained  on  shore  till 
early  in  March,  1836,  as  it  was  very  difficult  to  get 
employment  as  a  sailor,  especially  for  a  boy,  so  many 
men  being  out  of  employment,  owing  to  the  stagnation  of 
business  growing  out  of  the  late  calamity.  I  was  board- 
ing in  Depeyster  Street,  in  a  sailor  boarding  house,  a 
very  decent  one,  by  the  way.  Here  I  made  my  first 
acquaintance  with  buckwheat  cakes;  they  were  served, 
buttered  and  sweetened  with  molasses,  in  heaps  on  a 
platter.    I  enjoyed  them  immensely. 

I  think  it  was  about  the  middle  of  March,  or  perhaps 
earlier,  that  the  landlord  came  in  with  the  welcome  an- 
nouncement that  a  vessel  wanted  hands.  "Who  wants 
to  go  to  Philadelphia  in  the  brig  '  Montgomery '  for  four 
dollars  by  the  run?" 

"  I  will  for  one,"  was  my  instant  answer.  "  But  they 
don't  want  boys,"  he  objected.  "  I  will  ship  as  able  sea- 
man, then." 

That  settled  the  matter,  and  in  an  hour  I  was  on 
board.  It  was  rather  venturesome  for  a  boy  of  sixteen 
to  ship  as  able  seaman,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it  — 
and  from  that  time  till  I  became  mate  of  a  vessel,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  months  on  board  of  a  man-of-war 
as  ordinary  seaman,  I  always  had  full  wages  and  did  the 
work  of  an  "  able  seaman." 

When  I  went  on  board  the  "  Montgomery  "  all  was 
topsy-turvy.  It  was  very  cold,  the  ice  being  in  the  river, 
and  snow  and  sleet  covered  everything  on  deck.     Chain 

91 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

cables,  sugar  hogsheads,  barrels,  firewood,  staves,  hen- 
coops, and  spare  spars;  in  short,  all  the  usual  appur- 
tenances of  a  transient  trader  lay  in  a  confused  mass  on 
the  deck  amid  the  dirt  and  snow. 

The  first  thing  a  sailor  does,  on  going  on  board,  is  to 
stow  away  his  chest,  wearing  apparel,  bedding,  etc.,  in 
the  forecastle.  It  was  a  sorry  sight.  The  place  was 
very  small;  fitted  up  with  six  bunks,  and,  as  she  was  a 
Baltimore  clipper,  she  was  very  sharp  in  her  bows. 
Sugar  hogsheads  and  beef  barrels  had  been  hurled  in  to 
get  them  out  of  the  way,  and  all  such  things  had  to  be 
removed  before  we  could  find  place  for  our  "dunnage." 
Add  to  this  that  the  forecastle  showed  evident  signs  of 
being  very  wet  and  leaky,  and  I  am  sure  no  one  will 
envy  me  the  situation.  However,  I  was  young,  and  glad 
enough  to  earn  something  in  any  way  I  could,  and,  after 
we  were  regulated  and  under  way,  I  felt  happy  as  a  clam 
at  high  water. 

In  forty-eight  hours  we  arrived  inside  the  Capes  of 
Delaware,  and,  as  the  river  was  full  of  floating  ice,  we 
must  have  been  nearly  as  long  getting  into  our  berth  at 
the  wharf  in  Philadelphia.  I  was  requested  by  the  cap- 
tain, whose  name  I  have  forgotten,  to  ship  for  the  next 
voyage  to  La  Guayra,  and  I  consented,  stopping  a  few 
days  in  a  boarding  house  till  she  was  ready  for  her  crew. 

By  the  time  we  were  ready  for  sea  the  weather  was 
warmer,  and  I  left  Cape  Henlopen  with  a  good  deal 
lighter  heart  than  I  left  New  York  Bay.  The  wind  was 
fair  and  the  breeze  strong,  and  I  found  myself  on  board 
of  a  pretty  fast  vessel.  She  could  make  ten  knots,  and 
nine  was  no  unusual  rate.  But,  oh  my !  how  she  would 
dive !  The  forecastle  was  under  water  most  of  the  time, 
and  I  remember  how  we  used  to  watch  for  a  chance  be- 
tween the  big  seas  to  dive  into  the  dismal  hole  when  our 
watch  below  came,  and  how  often,  after  lying  in  our 
bunks  in  the  wet  clothes  with  which  we  had  turned  in, 

92 


ADRIFT 

when  we  were  called  to  go  on  deck  smoking  with  steam, 
a  cold  wave  would  hit  us  as  soon  as  we  emerged  from  the 
scuttle,  sousing  us  all  over !  There  was  little  use  in  trying 
to  put  on  dry  things,  for  every  seam  in  the  deck  leaked, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  rig  gutters  of  old  canvas  in  my 
berth  to  lead  the  streams  of  water  to  the  forecastle  floor. 
I  had  provided  myself  with  a  silk  hat  in  Philadelphia,  by 
which  I  set  great  store,  but  long  before  I  could  array 
myself  in  it,  as  a  gentleman  on  shore,  it  was  utterly 
ruined.  Still,  as  the  usage  was  good  and  the  food  of  fair 
quality,  we  were  happy  as  soon  as  we  got  into  the 
tropical  weather. 

But  before  that  time  I  am  reminded  of  a  circumstance 
that  came  near  losing  us  one  of  our  company.  This  was  a 
boy,  shipped  at  Philadelphia,  of  nearly  my  own  age, 
though  not  my  equal  in  seamanship.  While  the  vessel 
was  plowing  through  the  turbulent  Gulf  Stream,  going 
quarterly  with  studding  sails  set,  making  nine  knots,  he 
was  sent  out  to  loose  the  flying  jib.  After  casting  off 
the  gaskets,  he  placed  himself  astride  of  the  sheets  and 
told  us  to  hoist  away.  Of  course,  the  first  pull  on  the 
halliard  threw  him  overboard  right  in  front  of  the  stem. 
Needless  to  say  that  he  scraped  the  bottom  of  the  vessel 
all  the  way  to  the  rudder,  but,  being  an  expert  swimmer, 
he  came  up  in  our  wake.  As  soon  as  the  cry,  "  Man 
overboard "  was  heard,  some  one  threw  the  skylight 
cover  over,  and  this  he  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of,  but 
he  was  more  than  a  mile  astern  before  the  sails  could  be 
backed  and  a  boat  lowered.  It  was  an  exciting  sight  to 
see  him  rise  and  fall  on  the  sea,  so  far  away,  before  the 
boat  —  which  in  the  meantime  had  been  lowered  and 
manned  —  rescued  him.  He  was  brought  on  board  all 
right,  and  with  only  a  scratch  or  two  on  his  legs,  made 
by  the  copper  on  the  ship's  bottom.  I  don't  think  he 
ever  straddled  a  gib-sheet  again. 

As  this  was  my  first  introduction  to  tropical  scenes 

93 


FROM    FORECASTLE    TO    ACADEMY 

and  climate  I  enjoyed  it  very  much.  To  be  sure,  the  old 
brig  was  a  miserable  sea-boat,  and  as  her  sharp  nose 
kept  plunging  into  the  seas  there  were  few  days  when 
any  comfort  was  to  be  had  in  the  forecastle ;  but  on  deck 
the  sunshine  and  balmy  air  produced  a  buoyant  effect 
upon  my  spirits,  and  the  remembrance  of  that  voyage  is, 
on  the  whole,  far  from  disagreeable. 

It  must  have  been  late  in  April,  or  early  in  May,  when 
we  arrived  at  our  destination.  I  recollect  that  we  made 
land  about  ninety  miles  off  Caracas.  The  capital  of 
Venezuela  lies  on  a  high  plateau,  running  steeply  down 
to  the  coast  of  La  Guayra,  its  seaport.  There  was  at  that 
time  nothing  that  could  be  called  a  harbor,  the  ships 
swinging  at  anchor  in  a  roadstead  some  miles  from 
the  town.  The  appearance  of  the  place,  from  the  sea, 
was,  as  I  remember,  quite  picturesque,  the  town  lying 
at  the  foot  of  steep  hills,  mostly  covered  by  coffee  planta- 
tions, the  cool  green  of  which  contrasted  somewhat 
harshly  with  the  yellows  and  orange,  tawney,  sunburnt 
vegetation,  so  common  in  tropical  lands.  I  did  not  go 
on  shore  here,  as  we  were  all  fully  occupied  with  the 
duties  on  board.  The  cargo,  which  consisted  of  various 
kinds  of  provisions,  such  as  flour,  beef,  pork,  salt  fish, 
etc.,  was  discharged  into  lighters  which  were  brought 
alongside  by  the  black  slaves.  These  were  all  nearly 
naked,  and,  as  they  seemed  so  comfortable  in  the  burn- 
ing heat,  I  concluded  to  follow  their  example,  by  divest- 
ing myself  of  all  superfluous  clothing  while  at  work  hoist- 
ing out  the  cargo.  So,  in  spite  of  the  warnings  of  my 
older  shipmates,  I  doffed  my  shirt  and  stood  the  whole 
day  exposed  to  the  perpendicular  rays  of  the  sun  at  a 
place  where  he  pours  them  down  more  fiercely  than  at 
any  other  part  of  the  globe  with  which  I  am  familiar. 

At  first  it  seemed  all  right,  and  I  felt  happy  to  think 
of  the  comfort  of  being  au  naturel  like  the  negroes  before 
me;  but  when  at  evening  I  thought  I  would  put  on  my 

94 


ADRIFT 

flannel  shirt  again  I  found  that  I  could  not  endure  it,  the 
skin  having  been  so  badly  burnt  that  it  had  become  blis- 
tered in  places  and  scarlet  all  over.  I  was  forced  to  sit  up 
naked  most  of  the  night,  as  I  could  not  bear  the  touch 
of  any  foreign  body  to  any  part  of  my  person  above 
the  trousers.  The  next  day  the  same  work  was  to  do, 
and,  as  I  could  not  wear  a  shirt,  I  was  exposed  the  whole 
day  again,  but  by  night  the  inflammation  was  less,  and  I 
found  I  could  bear  my  clothes.  The  next  day  I  was  as 
tough  as  a  veritable  African,  and  as  little  sensitive  to 
the  burning  sun.  I  was  what  the  sailors  call  "  tanned," 
and  for  years  afterward  my  body  retained  the  brown 
color  peculiar  to  that  condition.  It  was  a  great  comfort, 
after  this  ordeal,  to  be  divested  of  clothing  when  at  hard 
work. 

I  have  intimated  that  La  Guayra  is  a  more  than 
ordinarily  hot  place,  and  so  it  is ;  still,  owing  to  the  reg- 
ular changes  of  land  and  sea  wind  that  occur  every  day 
at  certain  hours,  it  was  quite  endurable,  at  least  on  ship- 
board. Nearly  all  tropical  countries  are  alike  in  this 
respect,  so  that  when  I  describe  La  Guayra  I  describe  all. 
From  sunrise  till  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  it  is  calm,  and 
necessarily  very  hot,  but  at  that  time  the  sea  breeze  begins 
to  set  in,  and  it  continues  to  blow  quite  fresh  till  near  sun- 
set, when  again  there  is  an  hour  or  two  of  calm,  or  nearly 
so ;  then  the  land  wind  comes  gently  fanning  us,  and,  as 
it  is  usually  laden  with  the  various  perfumes  which  a 
tropical  flora  brings,  the  pleasure  its  breeze  afforded  by  its 
delicious  odors  is  only  surpassed  by  the  relief  its  cooling 
effect  had  on  the  languid  and  heated  human  economy. 
We  took  in  a  cargo  of  coffee  and  dried  bullocks'  hides, 
and  I  remember  this  as  a  peculiarly  hard  trial  to  my  still 
boyish  frame,  as  I  was  obliged,  by  my  position  as  sea- 
man, to  carry  the  sacks  of  coffee  into  the  ship's  hold  and 
assist  in  stowing,  just  the  same  as  the  strongest  on  board. 
It  is  no  joke,  when  the  thermometer  is  over  loo  degrees 

95 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Fahrenheit,  to  lug  a  sack  of  coffee  weighing  200  pounds 
to  a  position  which  does  not  permit  you  to  stand  erect. 
After  the  hold  was  filled  with  coffee  as  high  as  sacks 
could  be  laid,  great,  ugly,  sharp-edged  rawhides,  folded 
in  four,  had  to  be  dragged  and  pushed  wherever  they 
could  be  made  to  go.  The  ship's  masts  had  to  be  painted 
here,  and,  as  I  was  the  lightest  weight,  I  had  to  paint  the 
highest  sticks,  and  a  fearful  job  it  was.  As  we  were  in 
an  open  road  there  was  always  a  swell  from  the  ocean, 
which  kept  the  vessel  rocking  all  the  time.  She  was  very 
loftily  rigged,  even  to  sky-sail  poles.  These  were  not 
more  than  four  inches  in  diameter  at  the  truck,  and,  as 
the  masts  rocked  very  much,  it  was  a  most  difficult  mat- 
ter to  use  the  paint  brush  and  to  take  care  of  the  paint 
pot  at  that  lofty  elevation.  Even  as  low  as  the  top  gallant 
yard  the  masts  would  sway  most  uncomfortably,  yet 
there  at  least  were  ropes  to  hold  on  to;  but  to  paint  the 
royal  mast  and  the  skysail  poles,  I  was  obliged  to  shin 
up  the  mast  itself,  and  hold  on  as  well  as  I  could,  while 
the  slender  unsupported  spar,  with  my  weight  added, 
would  bend  and  sway  from  one  side  to  the  other  like  a 
fishrod  when  you  make  a  cast.  Even  now,  nearly  a  half 
a  century  afterward,  while  I  am  writing  this,  I  shudder 
to  think  of  the  awful  position.  Did  I  paint  well  ?  I  don't 
know.  I  didn't  stop  to  smoothen,  I'm  sure  of  that.  But 
that  I  did  not  linger  over  my  work  I  am  quite  sure. 
How  the  paint  flew,  and  how,  every  time  I  dipped  the 
brush  in,  it  Tained  white  paint  all  around!  And  now  I 
think  of  it,  what  devils  the  captains  and  mates  of  that 
day  must  have  been  —  and  mine  were  far  from  being 
among  the  worst.  Make  a  slight  calculation  of  the  arc 
that  is  swept  by  a  spar  100  feet  from  the  deck,  while  the 
hull  rolls  so  as  to  expose  and  submerge  alternately  its 
sides  at  least  six  inches;  then  add  the  whip-like  motion 
of  a  slender,  tapering  stick,  for  eight  feet  wholly  unsup- 
ported with  a  single  cord,  while  the  immediate  mast  be- 

96 


ADRIFT 

low,  some  twelve  feet  long,  is  only  slightly  steadied  by 
slender  ropes  fully  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  it  will  easily 
be  seen  that  X  do  not  exaggerate.  I  am  particular  regard- 
ing this  matter,  because,  though  I  have  been  in  many 
dangers  of  the  same  sort,  they  have  been  accompanied 
by  some  necessity  for  action,  which  might  have  kept  the 
mind  too  busy  to  realize  the  danger  till  it  was  over.  At 
all  events,  no  single  point  of  my  seagoing  life  is  now  re- 
membered with  the  same  feeling  of  horror. 


97 


IX 

ON  A  PILOT  BOAT,  HAITI,  PORT  AU 

PRINCE,  TRINIDAD  DE  CUBA, 

PERNAMBUCO 

AFTER  a  very  pleasant  return  voyage,  we  ar- 
rived in  Philadelphia  some  time  in  the  latter 
^  part  of  June.  The  weather  was  very  hot,  and 
the  nights  were  particularly  stewing.  One  night,  for 
some  reason,  I  had  been  belated  and  locked  out.  Finding 
it  impossible  to  rouse  the  inmates  of  my  boarding-house, 
I  wandered  the  streets  till  after  midnight,  when  I  came 
upon  what  was  then  known  as  a  night-house;  that  is  to 
say,  it  was  a  groggery  kept  open  all  night.  I  entered 
and  found  a  lot  of  rough  fellows  enjoying  themselves  as 
best  they  might,  some  of  them  stretched  on  benches, 
snoring  away  the  night,  I  remember  that  a  good  deal 
was  said  among  them  about  Forest,  the  actor,  who  had 
not  then  attained  the  zenith  of  his  fame.  Some  were 
even  spouting  Shakespeare,  and  I  gathered  from  their 
talk  that  the  great  actor  had  in  his  youth  given  dramatic 
recitations  in  the  same  informal  manner,  in  similar  places 
and  under  like  circumstances. 

Dubufe^s  Adam  and  Eve  were  on  exhibition  at  the 
Masonic  Hall,  where  I  went  to  see  them.  I  had  seen 
little  of  painted  art,  the  most  important  of  which  was, 
perhaps,  the  before  mentioned  altarpiece  in  my  native 
town,  and  these  pictures  were  a  revelation  to  me;  espe- 
cially was  I  taken  with  the  startling  effect  in  the  expul- 
sion. I  saw  these  same  paintings  many  years  afterwards 
in  Buffalo,  after  I  had  adopted  art  as  a  profession,  and 

98 


ON    A    PILOT    BOAT 

I  am  not  sure  if  not  with  greater  interest,  as  I  then  had 
opportunities  to  understand  the  difficulties  surmounted 
by  Dubufe!s  scientific  technique,  notwithstanding  a 
critical  remark  made  by  a  lady  of  the  party,  who  won- 
dered that  Adam  had  not  called  at  his  tailor's  on  his 
way  from  the  barber,  in  allusion  to  the  perfect  condition 
of  the  beautiful  and  smooth  arrangement  of  his  hair. 

Much  pleasure,  also,  did  I  get  for  each  quarter  dollar 
I  could  spare  at  the  old  Walnut  Street  Theater,  where 
Conner  was  leading  man,  who  played  Rolla  and  Lafitte 
so  much  to  my  satisfaction.  Ah!  the  days  of 
the  "  pit,"  with  its  delightful  attendant  peanuts  and 
apples.  What  if  we  did  sit  on  wooden  benches,  without 
support  for  the  back?    Could  youthful  heart  desire  more? 

My  next  employment  was  on  a  pilot  boat,  called  the 
William  Jones  of  Wilmington.  Though  a  regular  pilot 
boat,  she  was  then  in  the  service  of  the  government  as 
a  tender  to  lighthouses,  besides  which  it  was  our  captain's 
duty  to  keep  the  buoys  that  marked  the  channel  of  Dela- 
ware Bay  and  River  in  proper  place  and  order.  The 
navigation  of  these  waters  was  always  a  matter  requiring 
careful  attention,  owing  to  the  shifting  character  of  the 
bottom  of  the  numerous  banks,  and  buoys  often  required 
moving  to  accommodate  the  changes.  Thus  I  acquired  a 
very  fair  knowledge  of  the  pilot  business  during  the  two 
months  of  my  engagement.  We  used  to  supply  the  light- 
boat  on  the  five-fathom  bank  outside  of  the  capes,  and 
on  such  visits  sometimes  our  captain,  a  regular  branch 
pilot,  would  leave  us  to  take  a  ship  in.  These  occasions, 
though  rare,  were  very  enjoyable,  for  at  that  time  a  good 
breeze  in  the  broad  Atlantic,  in  a  smart  pilot  boat,  was 
a  pleasure  that  could  hardly  have  been  equaled.  When 
not  on  duty,  we  amused  ourselves  by  fishing,  especially 
for  eels,  though  occasionally  a  school  of  terrapins 
would  put  their  little  black  heads  above  the  surface  of 
the  water,  when  we  used  a  small  seine  for  their  capture. 

99 


FROM    FORECASTLE    TO    ACADEMY 

The  marshes  of  the  Jersey  shore,  near  Cape  May,  were 
full  of  king  crabs,  sometimes  called  horseshoe  crabs,  and 
these  were  excellent  bait  for  eels,  if  set  in  a  sunken 
basket,  the  result  being  a  whole  peck  of  them  on  gently 
drawing  it  to  the  water's  edge  and  suddenly  into  the 
boat,  but  we  even  used  only  our  hands  in  their  capture. 
There  is,  or  was,  a  sluggish  stream  or  brook  on  the  Jersey 
shore  of  the  lower  bay  called  Cohansy  Creek.  It  de- 
bouched into  the  bay  over  a  shallow  bar  of  soft  black 
mud,  and,  taking  a  king  crab,  making  a  large  hole  in  the 
shell,  we  would  step  on  it  with  our  bare  feet,  quite  near 
the  shore,  in  six  inches  of  water,  one  of  us  on  the  shore 
with  a  basket  and  armed  with  woolen  mittens,  ready  to 
secure  the  prey.  In  less  than  five  minutes  after  the  bait 
was  down  our  legs  would  be  surrounded  by  a  mass  of 
squirming  eels,  too  greedy  for  the  food  to  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  the  big  animal  above,  who,  with  his  bare  hands 
in  the  water  among  them,  would  try  to  throw  them 
ashore.  Most  of  them  slipped  through  our  hands  only 
to  make  another  dash  at  the  crab,  but  by  repeating  the 
process  we  always  succeeded  in  landing  a  few. 

We  sometimes  fished  for  black  fish  at  the  dock  near 
Lewes,  or  rather  the  breakwater  near  Cape  Henlopen, 
but  the  mosquitoes  in  that  part  of  the  world  were  of 
prodigious  size  and  too  abundant  for  comfort.  Indeed, 
they  could  make  life  not  worth  living  almost  anywhere 
near  the  shores  of  the  bay  or  the  river. 

One  evening  near  sunset,  when  we  were  lying  at 
anchor  with  the  boat  inside  of  Reedy  Island,  we  con- 
cluded to  go  to  an  old  wreck  to  fish  for  eels  with  hook 
and  line.  We  had  to  go  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
our  vessel,  but  when  we  got  to  the  old  hulk  the  sport 
began.  Every  time  the  hooks  reached  the  bottom  every 
one  had  a  big  eel;  but  as  the  eels  always  swallow  the 
hook  it  is  difficult  to  fish  fast,  unless  one  had  a  large 
number  of  snooded  hooks,  when  he  can  cut  it  off  and  put 

zoo 


ON    A    PILOT    BOAT 

on  another,  leaving  his  hook  in  the  fish.  Such  a  method 
is  a  great  deal  more  humane  than  to  try  to  pull  it  out. 
While  we^were  at  the  height  of  our  enjoyment  the  sun 
was  setting  gloriously  clear  and  we  began  to  think  of  re- 
turning. By  and  by  a  strange  sound  was  heard,  and, 
looking  up  into  the  sky,  whence  it  seemed  to  come,  we 
saw  a  long  and  snake-like  cloud,  which  we  were  not  long 
in  making  out  to  be  a  swarm  of  mosquitoes.  To  our  dis- 
may they  were  making  for  the  schooner.  We  left  at  once, 
pulling  hard  to  get  on  board  before  them  and  raise  a 
smudge  to  keep  them  out  of  the  cabin ;  but  to  no  purpose, 
for  they  had  full  possession  before  we  could  get  there. 
Finding  that  we  were  too  late  to  keep  them  out  of  our 
place,  we  did  not  venture  in,  but  loosed  the  sails  and 
wrapped  ourselves  in  them  as  well  as  we  could.  Still 
their  bills  would  pierce  the  hard  canvas,  and  for  my  part 
I  had  to  try  another  plan.  This  was  to  climb  aloft  and 
sit  on  the  cross  tree  all  night.  I  was  safe  there,  for  they 
do  not  often  rise  above  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  the 
level,  as  there  is  more  or  less  wind  to  drive  them  into 
the  higher  altitudes. 

My  life  on  the  pilot  boat,  on  the  whole,  I  remember 
with  more  pleasure  than  pain,  though  some  disagreeable 
things  did  happen.  One  of  these  was  a  desperate  fight 
I  had  with  one  of  my  companions,  the  very  boy  who  had 
such  a  narrow  escape  at  sea  on  the  "  Montgomery."  He 
was  a  perfect  savage  when  angered,  and  when  he  did  not 
prevail  in  the  rough  and  tumble  set-to,  he  ran  down  into 
the  cabin  for  a  gun  to  shoot  me.  This  was  happily  pre- 
vented by  the  other  hands,  and,  the  captain,  coming  on 
board  just  at  the  time,  he  was  thrown  into  the  hold  and 
the  hatch  fastened  over  till  his  wrath  was  cooled. 

About  the  first  of  September  I  shipped  in  a  schooner 
for  a  voyage  to  Port  au  Prince  and  Trinidad  de  Cuba. 
She  was  a  very  shaky  old  thing;  carried  four  men  before 
the  mast,  cook,  mate,  and  captain,  no  second  mate,  the 

lOI 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

captain  performing  his  duty  in  the  watches.  As  I  was 
a  foreigner,  and  had  not  then  declared  my  intention  to 
become  a  citizen,  I  was  shipped  under  the  name  of 
Edmund  V.  Stillwagon,  because  the  captain  had  an  old 
protection  belonging  to  some  man  of  that  name,  and 
which  was  made  to  do  duty  for  me.  It  was,  and  still 
may  be,  the  custom  of  sea  captains  to  have  these  papers 
on  hand  for  such  emergencies.  But  I  will  explain.  A 
so-called  "  protection  "  is  a  certificate  issued  by  a  proper 
officer,  that  the  holder  is  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  thus  entitled  to  its  protection  in  foreign  countries, 
the  particular  idea  being  to  enable  a  consul  of  the  United 
States,  wherever  he  may  be,  to  give  the  holder  of  the 
papers,  when  presented  to  him,  such  aid  as  he  may  legally 
extend  to  a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  Now  these 
papers  are  kept  by  the  captain  till  the  owners  of  them 
are  legally  discharged,  when  they  receive  them  back 
again.  It  happens,  however,  that  many  run  away  from 
the  vessel,  in  which  case,  of  course,  the  captain  retains 
these  "  protections."  The  shipping  laws  required  that  at 
least  two-thirds  of  the  crew  should  be  citizens,  and,  as 
this  was  sometimes  likely  to  detain  a  vessel,  an  old  "  pro- 
tection "  was  made  to  serve  for  a  foreign  sailor  when  he 
shipped.  Of  course,  he  assumes  the  name  on  the  "  pro- 
tection." To  be  sure,  the  original  possessor  of  that 
document  was  closely  described  in  it,  but  no  one  stopped 
to  inquire  into  particulars  when  the  ship  returned  to  port. 
My  memory  of  Haiti,  and  especially  of  its  capital,  is 
centered  in  the  beauty  of  the  bay,  at  the  end  of  which  the 
city  is  situated.  On  either  side  rise  high  hills,  covered  with 
coffee  trees,  and  farther  away  the  land  rises  into  moun- 
tains of  considerable  height.  The  city  itself  was  a  poor 
one,  and  there  was  nothing  worthy  of  notice  about  the 
harbor,  where  our  cargo  was  discharged  into  lighters. 
There  was  lying  alongside  of  us  an  English  bark  called 
the  "  Osprey "  —  if  I  mistake  not,  the  same  vessel  on 

I02 


l^:o!;:EMs:^pssississmii^^ 


THE    RABBI 
PAINTED    IN    1867 


PORT    AU    PRINCE,    TRINIDAD 

which  the  Tichborne  claimant  was  supposed  to  have 
sailed.  My  first  acquaintance  with  muskmelons  was  in 
this  place^  and  I  seldom  partake  of  one  even  to  this  day 
without  a  mental  vision  of  Port  au  Prince. 

Trinidad  has  a  beautiful  harbor,  formed  of  a  deep  bay 
surrounded  with  -hills.  The  city  was  small,  and  much 
like  all  such  places  within  the  Antilles.  But  that  bay, 
what  a  curious  thing  it  was  to  look  down  into  it.  You 
could  see  bottom  in  several  fathoms  of  water,  it  was  so 
clear,  and  a  sharp-eyed  zoologist  might  have  studied  its 
submerged  life  at  his  ease  anywhere,  zoophytes  of  all 
sorts  making  the  rough  coralline  bottom  radiant  with 
the  beauty  and  variety  of  their  tints. 

I  remember  being  grievously  disappointed,  on  a  visit 
into  the  town  on  Sunday,  when  I  bought  a  delicious 
looking  pie  from  a  negro's  tray  and  found  it  filled  with 
garlic. 

On  our  return  to  Philadelphia,  with  a  load  of  sugar  in 
boxes,  the  weather  proved  tempestuous  nearly  the  whole 
time,  and  as  sugar  is  always  a  trying  freight  for  a  ship 
in  a  heavy  sea-way,  owing  to  its  dead  weight  and  lack 
of  elasticity,  the  passage  proved  one  of  the  most  disagree- 
able in  my  experience.  This,  however,  was  not  wholly 
due  to  the  unyielding  nature  of  the  cargo,  but  even  more 
to  the  criminal  neglect  of  those  in  charge  of  proper 
preparation  for  stormy  weather.  The  rigging,  or  cordage, 
supporting  the  masts,  which  always  in  hot  weather  be- 
comes slack,  had  been  suffered  to  remain  so,  instead  of 
being  "  set  up,"  or  tightened,  before  leaving  port.  In 
the  midst  of  a  gale  off  Cape  Hatteras,  or  in  its  neighbor- 
hood, the  vessel  labored  so  terribly  in  the  heavy  seas 
that  we  all  feared  that  the  masts  would  go  overboard. 
Our  course  was  such  that  we  were  in  the  trough  of  the 
seas,  and  every  roll  she  made,  the  strain  upon  the  masts 
was  fearful.  The  vessel  was  what  is  called  a  topsail 
schooner;  that  is,  one  with  square  sails  on  the  foremast. 

103 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

The  captain  concluded  that  the  royal  yard  must  come 
down  to  ease  the  strain  upon  the  mast,  and  it  became  my 
duty  to  go  aloft  and  send  it  down.  This,  in  a  former 
ship,  had  been  my  nightly  duty  in  fair  weather,  when  it 
had  been  mere  boyish  fun,  and,  of  course,  I  was  familiar 
with  the  work,  but  this  time  it  was  quite  a  different  affair ; 
you  may  be  sure  I  did  not  dilly  dally  with  the  business, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  fearful  bending  of  the  mast  on 
which  I  was  perched,  with  every  roll,  the  yard  was  down 
and  on  deck  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes.  Just  as  I  had 
made  all  secure  and  was  about  to  descend,  the  captain's 
voice  rang  out  again :  "  Send  the  mast  down,  too,  while 
you  are  about  it."  This,  however,  was  a  much  more  dan- 
gerous duty,  as  every  roll  threatened  to  carry  me,  mast 
and  all,  into  the  seething  waters,  over  which  I  hung.  I 
could  have  no  assistance  in  my  work,  as  it  was  feared 
that  another  man  aloft  would  be  too  much  for  the  heavy 
jerking  strains  upon  the  ropes  and  mast.  It  took  me  an 
unpleasantly  long  time  to  get  through  my  work,  because 
at  every  roll  I  had  to  wait  till  the  vessel  was  upright, 
which,  of  course,  was  but  for  a  moment,  as  the  binding 
of  the  spar  against  the  iron  rings  prevented  its  down- 
ward motion  when  it  swung  from  side  to  side,  and,  as 
the  rigging  slackened  up  in  the  descent  of  the  mast,  I 
had  nothing  but  the  masthead  to  hold  on  to ;  but,  indeed, 
I  could  not  at  any  time  use  more  than  one  hand  for 
work,  the  other  being  constantly  required  to  hold  on  by, 
and  when  the  lurches  came  I  had  to  use  them  both  to 
keep  from  being  tossed  into  the  sea. 

I  have  taken  more  time  in  this  description  than  it 
took  me  to  perform  the  whole  work,  but  the  whole  epi- 
sode is  one  of  the  impressions  on  my  mind  which  death 
alone  shall  efface.  On  reaching  the  deck,  the  captain  said 
that  he  was  greatly  relieved,  for  he  had  hardly  expected 
that  I  would  come  down  alive. 

We  arrived  in  Philadelphia  about  the  first  of  October. 

104 


PERNAMBUCO 

On  my  return,  my  fondness  for  the  theater  returned  with 
increased  force.  The  old  Walnut  Street  Theater  was 
always  my  choice,  and  there  again  I  spent  most  of  my 
evenings.  Here  I  saw  many  fine  plays  and  many  good 
actors,  when  the  so-called  legitimate  drama  was  still  the 
favorite  of  the  public.  I  remember  Junius  Brutus  Booth 
there  as  lago,  supported  by  an  Othello  by  the  name  of 
Brown,  a  man  to  fame  unknown.  There  was  in  the  stock 
of  the  theater  a  comedian,  Hathaway,  whose  drollery  and 
comic  songs  are  sharply  impressed  on  my  memory. 
They  were  playing  "  La  Fitte,"  the  "  Pirate  of  the  Gulf," 
and  the  "  Jewess,  or  the  Fate  of  Haman,"  in  which  the 
procession  passed  from  the  stage  to  the  third  tier  on  a 
staging  covered  with  cloth.  These  two  plays  were  often 
performed  the  same  night,  and  when  the  latter  was  on 
the  bill  I  used  to  get  as  near  as  I  could  to  the  procession 
as  it  passed  over  the  "  pit,"  where,  for  an  often  borrowed 
quarter,  I  had  my  seat.  These  plays  had  a  long  run,  and 
I  was  on  hand  every  night  as  long  as  I  could  raise  the 
twenty-five  cents.  The  fact  was,  I  was  stage-struck,  and 
had  I  been  to  any  extent  master  of  the  English  language 
I  should,  probably,  at  this  writing  have  been  an  old 
Thespian  veteran. 

Early  in  November  it  became  again  necessary  to  go 
to  sea.  I  shipped  in  a  rather  large  brig  called  the 
"  Andes,"  and  our  destination  was  Pernambuco.  We 
arrived  there  some  time  in  December,  and  after  discharg- 
ing cargo  (mostly  provisions)  the  vessel  was  sold  and  the 
crew  paid  off.  However,  a  good  month  elapsed  before 
the  sale  was  concluded,  and  during  that  time,  of  course, 
we  remained  on  board.  While  lying  here  waiting  for  the 
negotiations,  the  crew,  having  nothing  to  do  necessary 
to  the  usual  care  of  the  vessel,  were  kept  at  work  in  every 
possible  way  to  keep  them  out  of  mischief,  as  the  general 
phrase  went,  though  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  what  mis- 
chief we  could  get  into  except  to  break  such  rules  of  the 

105 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

navigation  laws  as  would  have  been  of  advantage  to  the 
owners. 

To  explain:  If  liberty  to  go  on  shore  was  given  for 
a  certain  number  of  hours  and  a  man  exceeded  that  by 
twenty-four  hours,  it  would  be  construed  into  desertion, 
and  this,  of  course,  would  forfeit  wages  due,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  three  months'  extra  pay  which  the  law  then 
compelled  a  captain  to  pay  to  each  sailor  discharged  in  a 
foreign  port.  As  an  instance  of  the  species  of  petty  ty- 
ranny exercised  in  our  case,  I  will  mention  that  after  the 
vessel  was  painted  throughout,  decks  and  all,  as  she  was 
old,  and  the  decayed  deck  planks  thus  were  hidden  from 
view,  the  masts  scraped  and  all  tarred  down  aloft,  we 
^  were  set  to  making  sinnet  (a  species  of  braid  much  used 
for  various  purposes  at  sea  out  of  what  old  junk  remained 
on  board  that  could  be  thus  used,  then  the  remainder 
was  picked  up  into  oakum;  new  ropes  were  cut  up  to  be 
drawn  into  rope  yarn,  and  spun  into  spun  yarn,  or  twisted 
into  various  forms  of  small  cordage. 

As  for  myself,  being  handy  with  the  sail  needle,  I  was 
employed  for  three  weeks  in  repairing  and  middle-stitch- 
ing the  sails.  On  one  occasion  I  came  very  near  being 
treated  as  a  deserter,  the  very  thing  the  captain  was 
working  to  bring  about.  I  was  given  leave  to  go  on 
shore  with  others.  I  was  very  young,  not  more  than 
seventeen,  and,  of  course,  following  the  example  of  my 
seniors,  I  brought  up  at  a  wine  shop.  I  must  have  be- 
come suddenly  dead  drunk,  because  I  can  remember 
nothing  that  happened  when  I  found  myself  at  midnight 
lying  on  the  beach  near  the  boat  landing,  without  any- 
thing but  my  shirt  and  trousers;  even  my  boots  were 
gone,  and  not  a  vintine*  about  me. 

With  dazed  head  I  rose  and  took  in  the  situation.  I 
could  not  speak  a  word  of  Portuguese,  and,  if  I  could, 


*  Brazilian  copper  coin  worth  about  three-fourths  of  a  cent. 

io6 


PERNAMBUCO 

there  was,  perhaps  luckily  for  me,  nobody  to  speak  to. 
I  soon  realized  that  there  was  only  one  recourse  left  me  — 
to  swim  on  board  to  my  ship.  Ascertaining,  by  wading 
in,  that  the  tide  was  going  out,  I  took  what  precaution 
I  could  by  going  against  the  current  before  striking  out, 
but  I  found  before  reaching  the  middle  of  the  stream 
that  there  was  more  tide  than  I  bargained  for,  but,  being 
young  and  strong,  I  managed  to  reach  an  English  ship's 
hawser  that  crossed  our  own,  and  thus  I  was  enabled  to 
climb  up  on  the  latter  and  get  on  board.  The  astonish- 
ment of  the  captain,  when  he  found  me  among  the  rest 
washing  decks  the  next  morning,  was  amusing.  "  Where 
the  h — 1  did  you  come  from,  and  how  did  you  get  on 
board?"  were  his  questions.  "  Swam  on  board,"  I  re- 
plied.   "  The  h — 1  you  did !"  was  his  disappointed  answer. 

Perhaps  I  had  run  more  risk  than  I  knew  at  the  time, 
for  I  have  been  told  that  the  sharks  which  visited  the 
harbor  of  Pernambuco  were  of  the  sort  that  are  not  averse 
to  a  meal  of  man. 

It  must  have  been  some  time  in  the  latter  part  of 
January,  1837,  that  we  were  finally  paid  off  with  three 
month^'  extra  pay,  and  thus,  with  what  seemed  inex- 
haustible resources,  viz.,  pockets  full  of  Mexican  dollars, 
I  was  anxious  to  be  in  active  employment  again.  There 
was  at  the  time  a  slaver  fitting  out,  and  my  spirit  of 
adventure  prompted  me  to  try  for  a  berth  in  her,  but, 
fortunately,  the  places  had  been  filled  before  I  applied. 
When  I  think  from  how  great  a  danger  I  was  saved,  both 
to  soul  and  body,  by  this  failure  of  my  foolish  love  of 
romance  I  feel  that  ingratitude  to  Providence  would  be 
doubly  criminal. 


107 


THE  TV  EST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 

HOWEVER,  I  did  not  long  remain  idle,  but 
shipped  as  cook  and  steward  on  a  fine  brig 
called  the  "  Helen  Mar,''  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
Captain  Holloway.  The  vessel  was  bound  to  the  coast 
of  Africa  on  a  fishing  voyage,  and  the  crew,  with  the 
exception  of  the  officers  and  two  men,  were  all  shipped 
in  Pernambuco.  Some  of  them  were  of  average  fair 
character,  but  there  were  among  them  a  few  as  desperate 
characters  as  I  ever  sailed  with,  as  the  sequel  will  show.^ 
They  were  all,  except  myself,  hired  partly  by  "  lay,"  as 
it  is  called  among  whalemen  and  fishermen  (i.  e.,  they 
were  to  share  in  the  profit)  and  partly  by  regular  wages. 
Thus  they  were  to  receive  five  dollars  per  month  and 
five  fish  out  of  every  thousand.  This  was  interpreted 
by  the  desperate  characters  that  joined  to  mean  five 
dollars  per  month  and  five  slaves  out  of  a  thousand,  the 
fishing  business  being  understood  to  be  a  blind,  the  real 
object  of  the  voyage  being  a  slaving  trip.  And,  indeed, 
appearances  did  not  belie  the  possibility  of  such  an  inter- 
pretation, as  no  one  ever  heard  of  a  fishing  voyage  to  the 
west  coast  of  Africa  before. 

It  was  not  till  we  were  fairly  at  sea,  and  the  great 
bundles  of  twine  were  brought  out  and  preparations  for 
constructing  a  seine  of  considerable  proportions  were 
made,  that  these  dreams  of  profitable  adventure  were 
fairly  dissipated.  Disappointment  was  succeeded  by  a 
sullen  performance  of  duty,  and  it  was  soon  manifest  that 
a  subdued  spirit  of  insubordination  was  smoldering,  only 

io8 


THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 

waiting  opportunity  to  break  out  in  open  mutiny.  This 
was  soon  manifest,  but  only  to  those  in  the  forecastle 
and  to  myself,  who  could  not  help  hearing  the  ominous 
rumbling  of  the  volcano.  The  captain  and  chief  mate 
knew  nothing  about  it;  I  think  the  second  mate  must 
have  been  aware  that  something  unusual  was  going  on, 
but,  as  he  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  men,  he  had  no 
fear  of  damage  to  himself,  and  I  feel  sure  that  his  love 
for  the  captain  was  not  strong  enough  to  jeopard  a 
finger  to  save  him. 

Meantime  we  were  approaching  our  destination, 
Great  Fish  Bay,  near  latitude  fifteen  degrees  south,  longi- 
tude eleven  degrees  east,  and  the  great  seine  was  ready 
for  use.  I  will,  therefore,  leave  the  brig  to  the  favorite 
gales  while  I  tell  the  story  of  her  past  ventures  and 
present  aims. 

The  "  Helen  Mar  "  was  a  new  brig  of,  say,  250  tons 
burden,  built  and  owned  in  Portsmouth,  and,  as  before 
said,  commanded  by  Captain  Holloway,  a  tall,  thin,  dark- 
complexioned  Downeaster.  I  have  forgotten  the  names 
of  the  other  officers ;  but  among  the  crew  there  were  two 
men  who  had  been  in  the  vessel  from  the  time  she  left 
home.  One  of  these  was  Dan  Ball,  a  Cape  Cod  fisher^ 
man,  and  a  first-rate  sailor;  the  other  was  a  veritable 
type  of  the  genus  Yankee,  more  of  a  fisherman  than 
sailor,  but  as  honest  a  fellow  as  ever  blew  the  worms  out 
of  a  biscuit.  We  called  him  Bill;  his  other  name  I  have 
forgotten,  if  I  ever  knew  it. 

The  vessel  was  intended  for  the  gold  and  ivory  trade 
on  the  coast  of  Guinea,  and  as  at  this  time  that  part  of 
the  world  was  infested  by  slavers,  who,  outlawed  as  they 
were,  and  subject,  if  caught,  to  ornament  any  English 
cruiser's  yardarm,  it  was  natural  to  suppose  that  they 
would  not  have  refrained  from  piracy  had  the  occasion 
offered.  For  this  reason  the  "  Helen  Mar  "  was  armed 
with    two   long   twelve-pounders,    mounted   on    circular 

109 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

platforms,  which  could  be  turned  round  to  any  direc- 
tion, a  well-stocked  magazine,  and  a  sufficiency  of 
small  arms  of  various  descriptions.  This  gave  the  vessel 
a  semi-piratical  look,  and  was  doubtless  the  reason  for 
the  mistake  made  by  the  new  crew  as  to  the  object  of 
the  voyage.  The  voyage  was  made  to  Guinea,  but  for 
some  reason  unknown  to  me  was  unsuccessful,  the 
precious  metal  and  elephantine  spoils  not  forthcoming 
in  exchange  for  the  Medford  rum,  red  woolen  nightcaps, 
red  flannel  shirts,  and  cheap  cutlery,  beads,  looking- 
glasses,  etc.,  with  which  the  vessel's  hold  was  stored. 
Despairing  in  this  venture,  an  attempt  was  made,  in  true 
Yankee  fashion,  to  try  something  else.  This  was  to  run 
down  to  the  Hottentot  coast  to  barter  these  wares  for 
jerked  beef,  supposed  to  be  plenty  in  that  quarter,  and  to 
bring  it  to  the  Brazils  as  a  venture.  This  also  was  a 
failure,  owing  to  a  scarcity  of  cattle  or  the  indolence 
of  the  natives.  A  sort  of  council  of  war  seems  to  have 
been  held,  wherein  the  aforesaid  Dan  took  part,  and  the 
result  was  that  by  his  advice  a  fishing  trip  was  projected, 
which  proved  of  great  profit. 

The  advice  of  Ball  was  that  they  should  proceed 
northward  to  Great  Fish  Bay  and  there  try  to  secure  a 
quantity  of  fish  for  the  Brazilian  market.  "  I  have  been 
on  this  coast  in  a  whaler,"  he  said,  "  and  know  the  lay  of 
the  land.  There's  lots  of  fish  in  the  bay ;  they  come  there 
to  spawn,  and  in  such  quantity  that  they  actually  crowd 
each  other  out  of  the  water,  going  in  immense  shoals  (or, 
as  he  called  it,  schools)." 

"  Well,  but  suppose  we  go  there,  how  are  we  to  catch 
them?"  was  the  captain's  doubtful  question. 

"  Oh,  we  can  make  a  seine  by  drawing  rope  yarns 
out  of  some  new  coils  of  rope  we  have." 

"  That's  so ;  but,  then,  how  are  we  to  cure  the  fish  — 
where  is  the  salt?" 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,"  was  Dan's  ready  answer ; 

no 


THE    WEST    COAST    OF    AFRICA 

"  I  know  a  low  place  on  the  coast,  a  little  south  of  Fish 
Bay,  where  the  sea  has  overflowed  into  large  lagoons, 
which  the  sun  has  dried  up,  leaving  tons  of  salt  that  may- 
be had  for  the  gathering." 

The  plan  was  tried,  the  salt  was  found,  and  a  large 
quantity  collected  and  brought  on  board.  Then  they  pro- 
ceeded to  Fish  Bay,  found  it  full  of  fish,  the  spawning 
season  being  at  its  height.  Twenty  fathoms  of  seine  were 
hastily  constructed,  and  with  it,  in  the  course  of  two 
months,  94,000  fish,  chiefly  of  a  flat  kind  called  bream, 
were  caught,  salted,  and  dried.  The  vessel  arrived  in 
due  time  at  Pernambuco,  luckily  at  the  season  of  Lent, 
and  when  there  was  a  scarcity  of  salt  fish  in  the  market. 
The  lot  was  all  sold  at  seven  vintines  apiece,  which  rea- 
lized to  the  captain  $10,000  in  Mexican  coin,  which  he 
hid  in  bags  in  a  locker  in  the  cabin,  where  I  often  saw 
them. 

It  was  upon  this  stroke  of  luck  that  the  present  voyage 
was  planned,  and  I  doubt  not  that  our  sanguine  skipper 
hoped  that  he  had  struck  a  vein  of  wealth  more  inex- 
haustible than  any  of  "  Africa's  golden  sands." 

It  was  in  the  beginning  of  March  that  we  anchored  in 
Great  Fish  Bay.  This  deep  indentation  of  land  is  formed 
by  a  long  and  narrow  peninsula  of  dreary  white  sand, 
which  seems  to  be  the  formation  of  the  ocean's  wash.  It 
is  called  Tiger  Peninsula,  and  forms  the  southern  side  of 
the  bay.  Its  northern  boundary  is  a  rather  high  bluff 
called  Cape  Frio.  There  is  absolutely  nothing  but  sand, 
water,  and  sky  to  be  seen  here.  Nothing  can  be  more 
barren,  nothing  more  lonesome  and  void  of  all  that  can 
make  life  desirable ;  and  yet  even  here  the  artist  may  find 
motif,  for  the  stately  flamingo  comes  here  at  times,  and 
with  its  magnificent  scarlet  plumage  and  graceful  stalk- 
ing walk  along  the  sandy  beach  lends  a  temporary  beauty 
to  the  desert.  The  howling  of  the  jackal  may  be  heard 
at  night,  but  he  is  never  seen.     Great  numbers  of  alba- 

III 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

tross,*  too,  swim  about  the  vessel  with  as  little  fear  as 
domestic  geese  on  a  pond  in  the  midst  of  civilization. 
Gulls  of  all  sorts,  and  Mother  Carey's  chickens,  are  plenty, 
sharks  swim  lazily  around,  showing  their  dorsal  and 
caudal  fins  above  the  surface,  as  if  to  warn  the  careless, 
and  shoals  of  all  sorts  of  fish  are  everywhere  to  be  seen. 
But  nothing  human;  not  a  green  thing  of  any  sort.  On 
the  seaside  the  blue  horizon,  toward  the  interior,  the  gray 
of  sand  and  bay  mingles  with  the  gray  of  the  eastern  sky. 
There  is  a  kind  of  weird  aspect  in  that  fearful  expanse  of 
low  interminable  stretch  of  unexplorable  African  sands 
that  must  be  seen  to  be  understood;  and  while  I  am  writ- 
ing this  my  imagination  follows  one  poor  wretch  of  our 
crew  who  fled  into  those  mysterious  regions,  preferring  to 
take  his  chances  with  cannibals,  tigers,  and  other  beasts 
of  prey  rather  than  trust  himself  with  his  betrayed 
comrades. 

Everything  having  been  made  snug  for  a  prolonged 
stay,  the  boats  were  lowered,  the  new  seine  put  in,  and  all 
but  myself  went  ashore  to  commence  the  labors  which 
were  to  secure  the  object  of  the  voyage.  Being  now 
absolutely  alone  for  the  day,  my  only  duty  being  the 
preparations  for  a  6  o'clock  dinner,  when  the  day's  work 
was  over,  I  was  at  liberty  to  spend  the  spare  time  as  I 
thought  fit.  The  vessel  was  empty,  with  the  exception 
of  the  aforesaid  casks  of  rum  —  some  half  a  dozen  —  and, 
say,  a  dozen  large  boxes  filled  with  the  other  goods  orig- 
inally intended  for  the  Guinea  trade,  twenty  or  thirty 


*  I  related  this  story  to  an  English  navy  officer,  who  claimed 
to  be  familiar  with  the  albatross,  and  from  him  I  learned  that 
this  bird  seldom,  if  ever,  comes  so  far  north.  He  suggested  that 
it  may  have  been  a  very  large  species  of  gull.  This  may  be  so, 
but  the  stuffed  specimens  of  albatross  I  have  seen  in  the  Wash- 
ington Museum  so  much  resemble  in  size  and  shape  the  birds  I 
saw  and  handled  that  I  could  detect  no  difference. 

112 


THE    WEST    COAST    OF    AFRICA 

tons  of  salt  with  which  to  cure  the  fish  as  well  as  for 
ballast.  My  first  thought  was  to  examine  the  vessel  all 
over,  and  in  doing  this  I  came  upon  a  locker  containing 
firearms  of  various  ages  and  patterns;  this,  of  course, 
was  a  pleasant  find  to  my  boyish  taste,  and  I  fished  out 
from  the  lot  a  rusty  old  rifle  that  I  found  to  be  a  breech- 
loader, an  arm  I  had  hitherto  never  seen.  Of  course,  it 
had  a  flint-lock,  far  antedating  in  its  general  construction 
as  a  firearm  the  invention  of  the  percussion  cap.  The 
loading  chamber  was  square,  and  constructed  so  that  it 
could  be  raised  perpendicularly,  and  thus  loaded  with 
powder  and  ball  without  the  use  of  cartridge,  though  I 
suppose  regular  old-fashioned  paper  cartridges  were  in- 
tended to  be  used.  It  was  a  rusty  old  thing,  but  I  had  a 
good  deal  of  fun  with  it,  firing  down  in  the  hold  at  a  mark. 

I  do  not  say  that  this  was  my  first  day  alone,  but  I 
instance  it  as  one  of  the  ways  in  which  I  used  to  amuse 
myself  during  the  long  weeks  and  months  I  spent  alone. 
Some  days  I  would  fish  with  hook  and  line,  often  taking 
large  numbers  of  fish  of  good  size.  On  one  occasion  I 
caught  a  very  large  one;  it  must  have  weighed  at  least 
lOO  pounds.  They  called  it  a  Jew  fish.  It  seemed  to  be- 
long to  the  shad  family,  but  of  this  I  know  nothing  with 
certainty.  It  had  scales  as  big  as  a  half  dollar,  and  was 
silvery  white.  Being  very  old,  it  was  full  of  vermin,  and, 
though  highly  esteemed  for  its  delicacy  of  flavor,  was  re- 
jected as  unfit  to  eat,  and  put  with  the  rest  of  the  cargo 
after  being  salted  and  dried.  Another  day  I  caught  a 
dogfish,  and,  on  cutting  it  open,  I  found  that  it  had  four 
or  five  perfectly-formed  young  ones  adhering  to  what  I 
supposed  answered  for  an  umbilical  cord.  It  was  the 
first  practical  lesson  I  had  in  the  natural  history  of  the 
genus  to  which  it  belonged,  but,  like  all  practical  lessons, 
it  stayed. 

One  day  I  threw  a  hook  baited  with  a  piece  of  pork 
to  some  albatross  that  were  swimming  around  the  brig, 

.113 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and  one  of  them  taking  the  hook  I  pulled  it  on  board.  It 
was  not  much  hurt,  the  hook  having  caught  in  its  bill, 
but  I  was  very  proud  of  my  prize,  and  I  had  a  fair  chance 
to  examine  it.  I  was  at  first  afraid  it  would  fly  away, 
but  I  soon  found  that  it  could  not  rise  from  the  flat  deck, 
nor  could  it  run,  its  feet  being  wholly  made  for  the  water. 
So  it  had  to  stay  where  it  was  and  make  futile  demon- 
strations to  escape.  But,  indeed,  I  think  it  was  more 
astonished  than  angry  or  frightened  at  its  capture.  Hav- 
ing looked  at  the  bird  all  I  wanted  to,  I  opened  the  bit- 
port,  and  it  waddled  as  well  as  it  could  to  the  scuppers ; 
but  even  then  could  not  get  on  to  the  plankshear  without 
my  help,  but  when  it  did  it  just  dropped,  as  it  were,  and 
immediately  took  wing.  It  was  a  splendid  bird,  and  its 
capture  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  recollections  of  my  life, 
as  it  gave  me  a  fine  opportunity  to  examine  the  bird  with- 
out injuring  it  in  the  least. 

Another  time  I  came  into  the  cabin  and  found  a 
Mother  Carey's  chicken  (stormy  petrel)  sitting  on  the 
captain's  desk;  it  had  flown  in  through  the  stern  win- 
dows. This  little  fellow  was  worse  off  than  the  albatross, 
for  it  could  not  even  waddle.  It  didn't  stir,  but  let  me 
take  it  and  examine  its  feet,  which  to  me  were  very 
curious,  being,  as  I  now  remember,  composed  of  only 
two  long  webbed  toes,  with  nothing  like  a  heel  to  balance 
them.  These  are  the  recollections  of  sixty  years  ago,  of 
the  loose  investigation  of  a  boy,  ignorant  of  the  first 
principles  of  natural  history,  or  comparative  anatomy, 
and  it  is  quite  likely  that  a  more  careful  study,  with  my 
present  knowledge,  would  lead  me  to  modify  my  impres- 
sions; but  I  prefer  to  leave  the  description  as  it  is,  as 
being  more  true  to  my  history. 

I  will  only  add  one  more  recollection  immediately 
concerning  myself  in  this  connection.  One  day  I  found 
in  the  cabin,  among  the  captain's  books,  "  The  Wondrous 
Tale  of  Alroy,"  by  D'Israeli,  and  commenced  reading  it. 

114 


THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA 

I  got  so  absorbed  that  I  forgot  everything,  and  in  abso- 
lute dismay  saw  the  boats  set  out  from  the  shore,  about  5 
o'clock,  while  I  had  not  even  a  fire  in  the  galley,  and  not 
the  slightest  preparation  for  the  anticipated  dinner!  I 
naturally  expected  to  be  almost  killed  by  the  crew,  who 
must  have  been  ferociously  hungry,  but  so  much  was  I 
in  favor  with  them  that  not  only  did  they  not  harm  me, 
but  I  am  sure  would  have  protected  me  from  being 
harmed  by  the  captain ;  but  he  was  too  much  amused  by 
the  cause  of  the  trouble  to  get  angry.  Some  of  the  crew 
assisted  me  to  prepare  the  meal,  and  before  7  o'clock  the 
dinner,  or  rather  supper,  was  ready,  and  quite  as  good 
as  usual.  I  don't  remember  just  what  the  meal  consisted 
of,  but  I  dare  say  it  was  a  magnificent  chowder,  followed 
by  a  baked  farina  pudding. 

The  fishing  was  not  very  good,  and  this  did  not  im- 
prove the  captain's  temper,  which  began  to  show  itself 
on  more  than  one  occasion;  but  the  worst  was  that  we 
were  illy  provided  with  provisions,  especially  with  flour 
and  ship's  bread.  This  made  it  necessary  to  use  the 
Brazilian  farina  (farina  del  pao,  the  ground  root  of 
cassava,  if  I  am  not  mistaken)  more  than  was  pleasant  to 
the  sailors.  They  got  tired,  in  fact,  of  fish  and  farina  and 
beans,  and  ugly  demonstrations  of  discontent  were  not 
infrequent.  On  one  occasion  I  had  been  ordered  to 
make  them  a  pudding  of  bread  dust.  This  brought  mat- 
ters to  a  crisis.  They  came  in  a  body  and  demanded 
flour  duff  hereafter.  The  captain  tried  to  explain  that 
he  only  had  one  barrel  of  flour  left  and  that  economy  was 
necessary.  The  answer  was,  "  Let  us  have  what  there  is 
on  board,  and  let  us  go  back  if  the  provision  is  out." 
They  knew  very  well  that  the  flour  was  intended  for  the 
cabin,  but  the  captain  was  obliged  to  give  way.  So  we 
had  real  duff  twice  a  week,  and  that  will  generally  keep  a 
crew  quiet  on  the  score  of  aliment,  other  things  being 
fairly  eatable. 

115 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

But  we  had  an  element  of  destruction  on  board  that, 
under  some  circumstances,  is  worse  than  powder  and 
ball.  This  was  the  rum,  which  was  stowed  in  the  after 
part  of  the  hold.  There  was,  of  course,  no  fishing  done 
on  Sunday,  that  being,  as  usual  on  board  ships  in  port, 
after  cleaning  up,  devoted  to  rest,  washing  clothes, 
mending,  and  what  recreation  could  be  had  under  the 
circumstances.  At  such  times  the  captain  and  officers 
would  take  those  of  the  crew  who  were  so  disposed  for 
a  stroll  along  the  sandy  beaches  or  hummocks,  which 
constituted  all  the  land  in  sight.  It  was  not  known  to 
the  new  hands,  shipped  in  Pernambuco,  that  there  was 
rum  on  board ;  but  one  Sunday,  while  secretly  examining 
the  hold,  which,  unknown  to  the  officers,  they  could 
reach  by  removing  a  plank  in  the  bulkhead  of  the  fore- 
castle, it  was  discovered.  I  need  not  say  to  any  one  who 
knows  the  genus  sailor  that  to  find  rum  is  to  have  it  at 
any  cost.  A  gimlet  and  a  stick  of  wood  was  all  that  was 
necessary  to  draw  a  bucketful  out  of  one  of  the  casks. 
This  was  brought  into  the  forecastle,  and  freely  drunk 
among  them  all.  The  result  was  easy  to  foresee:  a 
drunken  row,  which  was  at  once  discovered,  and  extra 
precautions  taken  by  the  captain  to  prevent  a  recurrence. 
Believing,  however,  that  they  found  access  to  the  hold 
and  the  rum  through  the  hatches,  these  were  afterwards 
kept  locked,  no  entrance  except  through  the  cabin  being 
supposed  possible  afterwards.  The  loose  plank  in  the 
bulkhead  of  the  forecastle  was  never  discovered.  The 
only  result  was,  that  thereafter,  though  the  rum  was 
stolen,  precaution  was  taken  against  excesses,  and  thus 
the  theft  remained  undiscovered  till  we  reached  Pernam- 
buco, when  the  casks  were  found  nearly  empty. 

But  the  theft  of  the  rum  would  have  been  a  matter  of 
small  consequence  in  itself  had  it  not  been  for  the  result 
on  the  minds  of  the  crew.  A  conspiracy  was  formed 
and  solemnly  sworn  to,  at  the  instance  of  one  William 

ii6 


THE    WEST    COAST    OF    AFRICA 

Wallace,  an  Irish  desperado,  who  projected  a  plan  for 
capturing  the  brig  and  turning  her  into  a  pirate.  Even 
Dan  Ball,  doubtless  under  the  influence  of  the  liquor, 
entered  into  the  project,  and  was  induced  to  take  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  projected  navigation  of  the  vessel. 
Bill  had  also  joined  in  the  conspiracy,  but,  I  think,  rather 
from  being  forced  by  circumstances  than  with  an  actual 
intention  to  become  a  pirate.  I  have  good  reason  for 
believing  this,  for,  at  my  request,  he  took  my  place  one 
day  while  I  took  his  on  shore,  and  that  during  the  day 
he  discovered  the  bag  of  money  in  the  captain's  room  — 
a  fact  of  which  he  informed  me,  but  without  letting  it  be 
known  to  the  crew.  Had  they  known  that  a  cool  10,000 
Mexican  dollars  were  hidden  on  board,  the  lives  of  all 
the  officers  would  have  been,  without  compunction,  sac- 
rificed. I  need  not  add  that,  though  I  knew  just  where 
the  treasure  was  hidden,  and  had  often  seen  it,  I  never 
revealed  it  either. 

Meantime,  the  pot  was  boiling,  and  the  plans  were 
perfected.  Strangely  enough,  they  took  no  pains  to  hide 
them  from  me.  At  first,  dark  hints  that  I  would  soon  be 
under  other  orders,  with  significant  display  of  their 
sheath-knives  to  be  used  on  anyone  who  disobeyed  or 
betrayed  them,  not,  to  be  sure,  directed  at  me,  but  not 
the  less  understood.  I  did  not  at  this  time  know  the 
true  state  of  things,  and  hardly  deemed  it  anything  but 
bravado;  but  still  I  dared  not  speak  of  these  inuendoes 
to  the  captain.  It  turned  out,  however,  that  before  the 
plot  was  fully  ripe  my  caution  proved  unnecessary.  And 
this  is  how  it  happened :  A  regular  conspiracy  had,  as  I 
before  stated,  taken  place,  when  each  individual  in  the 
forecastle  put  his  signature  to  a  paper  drawn  up  by  Wal- 
lace, binding  himself  to  obey  the  chief,  and  to  carry  out 
the  plans  proposed.  I  never  knew  the  particulars;  that 
is  to  say,  I  never  saw  this  redoubtable  agreement;  but 
from  what  I  learned,  after  all  was  over,  it  was  to  this 

..7 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

effect:  Dan  Ball  was  to  be  captain,  with  Wallace  as 
first  officer,  and  I  think  the  intention  was  to  retain  the 
second  mate,  who  was  considered  a  good  sailor  and  a 
good  fellow.  I  was  to  go  with  them,  of  course,  willy- 
nilly,  but  Captain  Holloway  and  the  chief  mate  were  to 
be  left  on  shore,  with  some  provisions,  to  take  their 
chances  —  in  fact,  to  be  marooned.  We  were  to  go  to 
sea  and  capture  any  vessel  that  might  be  in  our  track, 
and  then  proceed  as  fast  as  possible  to  Chili  or  Peru,  sell 
the  vessel,  divide,  and  disband.  Everything  being  thus 
arranged,  they  only  waited  for  a  fair  opportunity  to  put 
the  same  into  execution.  It  was  determined  that  the 
next  Sunday,  when,  as  usual,  the  officers  went  on  shore, 
the  boat's  crews  should  possess  themselves  of  the  boats, 
shove  off,  and  leave  the  captain  and  mate  on  the  land. 
Then,  as  it  was  impossible  for  the  latter  to  get  back  to 
the  ship,  they  could  take  their  time,  weigh  anchor,  and 
sail  away  at  their  leisure.  How  the  provisions  intended 
for  the  sustenance  of  the  unfortunate  officers  was  to  be 
got  to  them  I  never  learned. 

Now  this  was  a  very  feasible  plan,  and  would,  without 
doubt,  have  succeeded,  but  for  the  weakening  of  one  of 
the  conspirators;  this  was  an  Englishman,  recently  from 
Sydney,  N.  S.  W.  I  cannot  remember  his  name,  but  his 
blonde  head  and  finely-formed  figure  is  before  me  as  if  it 
was  but  yesterday.  I  never  knew  his  motive  for  betray- 
ing his  comrades,  but,  judging  from  what  I  did  know  of 
the  man,  I  do  not  think  it  was  prompted  by  pure  con- 
science—  indeed,  I  thought  at  the  time,  and  still  think, 
cowardice  had  quite  as  much  to  do  with  it.  At  any  rate, 
three  or  four  days  before  the  time  set,  he  told  the  whole 

,  story  to  the  captain.  The  latter,  whatever  faults  he  had, 
and  they  were  far  from  few,  was  no  coward,  but,  having 
a  desperate  set  to  deal  with,  he  wisely  said  nothing  at 

^  first,  but  resorted  to  stratagem.  This  was  to  separate  the 
crew  into  two  parts,  sending  those  known  to  be  most 

ii8 


THE    WEST    COAST    OF    AFRICA 

dangerous  on  shore  to  fish,  while  he  kept  the  others, 
three  or  four  of  whom  he  had  reason  to  believe  were 
rather  forced  into  the  conspiracy,  on  board,  under  pre- 
tense that  some  necessary  duty  about  the  ship  was  to  be 
performed.  These  he  ordered  to  unbind  all  the  sails  and 
stow  them  away  in  the  hold.  Then  he  had  the  powder 
magazine  brought  into  his  stateroom,  and  placed  by  his 
bedside.  A  loaded  pistol  was  kept  by  him  ready  to  fire 
into  the  magazine  at  the  last  moment,  should  they  obtain 
possession  of  the  vessel,  and  thus  blow  us  all  at  once 
into  eternity.  Muskets  were  loaded  and  given  to  the 
officers,  who  kept  them  by  them  night  and  day.  Every 
arm  was  placed  out  of  reach  of  the  crew,  and  then,  when 
all  was  ready,  and  when  the  sailors  who  had  been  sent 
on  shore  to  fish  had  returned  to  the  ship,  he  informed 
them  that  he  knew  all  about  their  intention,  vowing,  at 
the  same  time,  to  blow  them  into  h — 1  at  the  first  move- 
ment toward  mutiny.  He  did  a  mean  thing,  at  the  same 
time,  which  was  to  give  the  name  of  the  traitor.  It  was 
this  that  sealed  the  doom  of  the  latter,  for  I  cannot  believe 
that  he  ever  got  away  from  that  fearful  desert,  though 
he  escaped  the  vengeance  of  his  shipmates  by  running 
away  from  the  vessel. 

The  remaining  time  in  Great  Fish  Bay  was  a  trying 
one  to  all.  The  crew  was  kept  under  constant  surveil- 
lance while  on  shore,  and  when  on  board  the  vigilance 
was  doubled.  None  of  them  was  allowed  on  deck  after 
9  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  mates  kept  anchor-watch, 
one  from  8  till  I2,  the  other  from  I2  till  4,  when  I  was 
called  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  breakfast 
and  lunch,  or  rather  the  dinner,  which  was  eaten  on  shore. 
All  of  us  who  lived  in  the  cabins  slept  with  a  loaded 
musket  in  our  berth,  and,  as  before  mentioned,  a  loaded 
pistol  lay  near  the  captain's  hand,  ready  to  fire  into  the 
powder  magazine. 

During  this  strained  condition  of  things,  or  rather  at 

119 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  very  beginning,  the  poor  fellow  that  had  informed  on 
his  mates  came  to  me,  begging  that  he  might  be  allowed 
to  sleep  in  the  galley.  This  I  allowed,  and  he  used  to 
barricade  himself  in  there  every  night  as  long  as  he  re- 
mained on  board.  Nothing  was  done  by  the  captain  to 
protect  him  from  the  wrath  of  the  rest  of  the  crew,  nor 
do  I  think  he  could  have  protected  him  effectually  had 
he  been  so  minded.  One  Sunday  morning  when  I  got  on 
deck  the  cook's  axe  was  missing,  and  so  was  the  jolly- 
boat,  while  the  galley  was  empty  of  its  tenant.  He  had 
deserted  and  gone,  no  one  knows  whither !  The  boat  was 
found  on  the  beach,  and  that  was  all  we  ever  knew;  no 
search  was  made,  and  he  never  came  back  again.  Yes,  he 
did  come  back  in  the  following  night,  for  it  was  found 
that  a  powder  keg,  used  as  a  water  breaker,  was  gone 
from  its  usual  place  on  the  shore.  The  poor  fellow  had 
found  it  necessary  to  supply  himself  with  water  to  drink. 
This  was  the  last  of  him,  so  far  as  we  knew.  There  was 
a  tribe  of  Caffirs  reported  to  be  living  away  in  the  interior, 
some  twenty  miles  off,  and  doubtless  he  joined  them,  but 
whether  they  adopted  him  or  dined  off  him  no  one  will 
ever  know. 

By  this  time,  some  90,000  fish  had  been  cured,  and,  as 
the  provisions  were  running  short,  and  the  crew  still  ex- 
hibited signs  of  insubordination,  it  was  thought  best  to 
weigh  and  make  sail  for  Pernambuco. 

One  day,  during  the  last  week  of  our  stay  in  Great 
Fish  Bay  (it  was  Sunday  morning  and  all  were  on 
board),  I  took  the  vessel's  long  boat  to  go  on  shore 
after  some  fish  for  dinner,  our  other  boat,  a  smaller  one, 
being  hauled  up  high  and  dry  beyond  high-water  mark 
on  the  sandy  shore.  After  sculling  ashore,  I  drew  the 
boat  up  as  well  as  I  was  able,  and  went  to  get  the  fish, 
which  were  laid  out  on  the  sand  to  dry.  When  I  came 
back,  what  was  my  astonishment  and  terror  to  find  that 
the  boat  was  adrift  and  going  out  with  the  tide  to  sea. 

120 


THE    WEST    COAST    OF    AFRICA 

I  thought,  of  course,  at  first,  of  swimming;  but  at  the 
same  time  I  remembered  the  fearful  numbers  of  sharks 
that  constantly  infested  the  bay,  and  I  felt  it  would  be 
suicidal  to  attempt  it.  There  was  no  other  boat  on  board, 
and  I  must  try  to  get  the  dingy,  the  boat  that  was  on 
land,  into  the  water.  But  it  was  several  rods,  at  least, 
from  the  water's  edge,  and  the  distance  between  was  all 
loose  sand.  However,  I  ran  to  it  to  do  my  best.  I  have 
always  regarded  the  success  of  this  effort  as  one  signal 
instance  of  the  power  of  mental  energy.  The  boat  was 
an  old  Dutch  flat-bottomed  affair,  resembling  more  the 
longitudinal  section  of  half  an  elongated  cask,  the  stern 
being  square,  the  smaller  end  of  the  cone  forming  the 
prow.  It  took  five  or  six  men  to  pull  it  up  to  where  it 
lay,  and,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  I  could  not  have 
moved  it  a  yard  from  its  position.  But  it  seemed  life  or 
death  to  me  to  get  that  boat  into  the  water,  and  I  accom- 
plished it  by  placing  my  shoulder  against  the  forward 
part  and  turning  it  round  and  round  by  a  continued  effort 
of  all  my  strength,  gaining  a  few  inches  each  push. 
When  at  last  I  had  the  horrid  thing  afloat,  and  was  in  it, 
I  was  so  spent  that  I  should  never  have  got  the  two 
boats  to  the  vessel  by  any  effort  I  could  make,  and 
doubtless  I  should  have  drifted  out  to  sea  beyond  sight 
before  the  vessel  could  have  come  to  my  rescue,  since 
not  a  sail  was  bent  on  any  yard,  even  if  the  anchor 
could  have  been  weighed  in  time.  My  trouble  had  been 
seen  on  board,  and  one  of  the  sailors  was  already  on  his 
way  to  my  rescue  on  a  couple  of  hatches,  by  way  of  raft, 
which  he  was  paddling.  I  made  for  his  raft,  and  then 
he  got  on  board  of  my  boat,  when  together  we  succeeded 
in  saving  everything. 

I  have  mentioned  sharks.  Not  many  days  before  the 
above  adventure  we  caught  fourteen  so-called  tiger 
sharks  in  one  haul  with  the  seine.  Their  livers  furnished 
lamp  oil  for  the  rest  of  the  voyage.     Once,  when  we 

121 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

made  a  haul  for  fish  (it  was  a  day  when  I  had  exchanged 
with  one  of  the  men,  so  that  I  might  witness  the  fishing), 
a  monster,  fully  twenty  feet  long,  broke  through  the 
seine  from  the  outside  to  get  at  the  fish  inside.  As  we 
had  at  least  6,000  in  the  haul,  he  had  plenty  to  eat,  and 
seemed,  as  we  drew  the  whole  mass  nearer  and  nearer 
the  beach,  to  be  in  no  hurry  to  leave,  nor  did  he  manifest 
alarm  till  he  felt  the  bottom  and  we  had  him  full  in  sight. 
Then  he  began  a  set  of  gymnastics  that  were  fearful  to 
see,  lashing  his  tail  around  in  a  decidedly  dangerous 
manner.  No  one  dared  to  approach  him,  and,  there  being 
no  rope  at  hand  to  ensnare  him  with,  he  soon  got  into 
water  of  sufficient  depth  to  swim,  when  he  made  his  way 
out  of  the  seine  in  the  same  manner  in  which  he  entered, 
and  the  last  we  saw  of  him  was  the  end  of  the  tail  and 
back  fin  sticking  up  far  out  in  the  bay. 


122 


XI 

AT  PERNAMBUCO  AND  RIO  BE  JANEIRO 

A  BOUT  five  months  from  the  time  we  left  Per- 
/  \  nambuco,  we  again  entered  its  noble  harbor. 
X  .A.  Here  I  was  regularly  discharged,  but  some  of 
the  crew  were  put  in  jail  —  not  so  much  on  account  of 
mutinous  conduct  as  because  of  the  theft  of  rum  and  other 
articles  which  had  formed  the  cargo.  I  may  here  state 
that  two  hogsheads  of  Medford  rum  had  been  emptied  by 
the  crew  during  the  voyage.  However,  nothing  was  done 
about  it,  for  after  a  week's  incarceration  they  were  set  at 
liberty.  The  adventure  proved  a  losing  one  for  the 
owners,  for  when  we  arrived  it  was  not  Lent  and  dried 
fish  were  plenty.  All  that  was  realized  upon  the  95,ocx) 
fish  was  three  vintines  per  fish,  or  about  two  cents  less 
than  $2,000  in  all  —  clearly  a  losing  speculation.  The 
voyage  for  which  we  had  shipped  being  at  an  end,  all  were 
discharged.  I  had  saved  some  of  the  wages  received 
from  the  "  Andes,"  which  had  been  stowed  in  a  stocking, 
with  the  intention  of  adding  to  it,  thereby  furnishing  a 
nucleus  for  future  wealth.  The  sum  must  have  been  as 
much  as  $50,  all  in  good  Mexican  coin,  and  with  my  five 
months'  additional  wages,  not  a  cent  of  which  I  had  had 
a  chance  to  spend,  at  $17  per  month,  I  had  at  least  $150 
in  clear  cash.  Alas!  for  my  resolution  to  save;  for  dur- 
ing the  three  months,  dating  from  about  the  first  of 
August  (the  time  I  must  have  left  the  "  Helen  Mar")  till 
the  end  of  October,  when  I  left  for  Rio  de  Janeiro,  I  had 
contrived  to  exhaust  not  only  the  contents  of  my  stocking, 
but  all  I  had  earned  by  my  work  on  shore,  the  only  saving 

123 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

being  a  well-stocked  chest  for  future  voyages.  But  even 
this  was  to  be  of  no  benefit  to  me,  as  will  be  seen 
further  on. 

While  in  Pernambuco  I  worked  whenever  a  chance 
was  offered,  and  was  not  wickedly  improvident,  though 
I  cannot  boast  of  behaving  much  better  than  other  sailors 
on  shore,  barring  not  getting  drunk,  though  I  was  far 
from  being  a  teetotaler.  I  would  go  on  sprees  with 
some  of  my  comrades  of  the  boarding-house,  but  I  think 
it  was  more  from  a  sort  of  desire  to  be  considered  a  good 
fellow  and  generous  companion  than  from  any  real  dis- 
position in  myself  to  dissipation.  Pernambuco,  at  this 
time,  was  a  bad  place;  not  to  speak  of  the  night-walking 
female  population,  who,  by  the  way,  bore  and  deserved 
a  better  reputation  than  their  frail  sisters  in  Protestant 
countries,  but  it  had  an  unenviable  reputation  on  account 
of  the  frequency  of  murders  committed  at  night  in  its 
public  thoroughfares.  At  the  time  of  my  arrival  this 
evil  was  said  to  be  on  the  wane,  owing  to  better  police 
regulations,  and  I  cannot  say  that  this  was  disproved  by 
personal  observation ;  still,  as  the  narrow  streets  were  not 
lighted,  the  buildings  high  and  sidewalks  narrow,  it  was 
always  deemed  best  to  take  the  middle  of  the  street,  lest 
some  assassin  should  suddenly  emerge  from  a  convenient 
portico.  A  law,  or  police  regulation,  against  carrying 
concealed  arms  obtained  at  that  time,  but,  as  it  was 
thought  unsafe  to  go  without  means  of  defense,  the 
sailors  on  shore  generally  kept  their  sheath-knives  con- 
cealed about  them,  when  they  were  out  late  at  night  in 
search  of  pleasure  or  adventure.  Mine  I  sometimes  car- 
ried without  a  sheath,  tied  with  a  thread  to  the  arm  inside 
my  sleeve,  on  such  occasions.  However,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  shower  of  brickbats,  coming  I  knew  not  whence, 
by  which  I  was  unhurt,  no  attack  was  made  upon  me.  I 
never  carried  more  than  three  or  four  dollars  about  me, 
having  had  the  precaution  to  leave  my  money  with  an 

124 


AT  PERNAMBUCO  AND  RIO  DE  JANEIRO 

English  merchant  on  whom  I  drew  when  I  wanted  it, 
and  who,  by  the  way,  used  to  give  me  fatherly  remon- 
strances if  I^wanted  too  much  at  a  time.  Had  it  not  been 
for  this  I  would  have  been  without  money  long 
before  I  was.  I  wish  I  could  remember  this  gentleman's 
name.  I  recollect  he  gave  me  my  first  employ- 
ment, but  I  think  that  was  when  I  first  went  to  Per- 
nambuco.  It  was  to  make  a  suit  of  sails  for 
a  small  sail-boat,  or  yacht.  I  made  them  in  his  house, 
and  well  I  remember  the  excellent  cups  of  tea  I  had 
when  he  invited  me  to  breakfast.  The  principal  job 
of  work  upon  which  I  was  employed  after  my  return 
from  Africa  was  getting  the  very  vessel  I  came  in,  the 
"  Helen  Mar,"  off  from  the  beach  where  she  had  stranded 
on  trying  to  get  out  of  the  port.  She  was  thrown  high 
and  dry  at  high  tide,  and,  as  she  appeared  a  total  loss, 
she  was  sold  to  an  American  resident  for  $200,  but  I 
never  knew  whether  by  the  owners  or  the  insurance  com- 
pany. At  the  time  I  never  suspected  that  the  ship  going 
on  shore  was  not  an  accident;  but  now,  when  I  think  it 
all  over,  and  remember  how  unfortunately  the  whole 
cruise  had  turned  out,  and  how  little  danger  there  is  in 
leaving  this  port,  other  thoughts  have  come  into  my 
head.  However,  there  she  was,  three  miles  from  the 
city,  hard  on  a  sand  beach,  where  the  whole  sweep  of 
the  Atlantic  was  on  her,  though  beyond  reach  of  the 
waves,  as  she  was,  as  before  stated,  above  high-water 
mark,  and  deeply  imbedded  in  the  loose  sand.  Sixteen 
men  were  hired  to  get  her  off,  and  I  was  among  the 
number.  We  had  nearly  a  month  for  preparation,  as 
the  great  attempt  could  not  be  made  before  spring  tides, 
when  it  was  calculated  that  the  tide  would  reach  her. 
It  became  a  very  simple  matter.  Heavy  anchors  were 
procured  and  carried  out  in  boats  as  far  as  the  chain 
cables  would  reach;  then  one  anchor  was  dropped  in 
three  fathoms  of  water,  the  chain  running  through  the 

125 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

hawse-hole ;  heavy  tackles  were  applied  to  these,  and  the 
fall  taken  to  the  windlass.  Then  all  was  "  hove  "  taught 
and  belayed.  The  sand  was  dug  away  from  the  side  to 
the  sea  (she  was  lying  side  on),  and  this,  indeed,  con- 
stituted the  main  labor.  When  at  last  the  tide  reached 
her,  so  as  to  move  the  sand  and  wash  against  the  side, 
all  hands  went  to  the  windlass  and  "  hove  "  away.  It 
was  soon  apparent,  however,  that  the  anchor  was  com- 
ing home,  and  it  became  necessary  to  slack  up.  The 
other  anchor  was  then  carried  out  with  a  great  strap,  two 
or  three  fathoms  long,  made  of  heavy  hawser;  this  was 
passed  through  the  ring  of  the  anchor.  The  intention 
was  to  drop  this  bight,  or  loop,  over  the  pea  of  the  first 
anchor  and  thus  back  it.  The  attempt  to  do  this  by 
dropping  it  over  the  buoy  was,  after  several  attempts, 
declared  a  failure,  and  things  looked  decidedly  unpleas- 
ant for  the  enterprise. 

At  last  I  volunteered  to  go  down  and  put  the  bight 
over.  The  offer  was  thankfully  accepted,  and  down  I 
went  on  the  buoy-rope;  no  great  undertaking  so  far  as 
getting  down,  but  it  was  hard  to  get  the  great  hawser, 
almost  as  stiff  as  a  piece  of  wood,  over  the  pea  of  the 
anchor.  I  got  hold  of  it,  and  dragged  it  to  its  place,  but 
I  could  not  stay  under  water  long  enough  to  finish,  and 
had  to  ascend  for  breath.  After  resting  a  few  minutes,  I 
went  down  again,  and  this  time  succeeded  in  getting 
the  bight  fairly  over  the  fluke.  On  coming  to  the  sur- 
face I  reported  all  right,  and  word  was  given  to  heave 
taut.    Now  all  was  ready. 

The  next  day,  at  3  o'clock  P.  M.,  the  long  expected 
spring-tide  came,  and,  as  the  wind  blew  freshly,  making 
heavy  surf,  our  hopes  rose  high.  About  2.30  we  began 
to  heave;  it  was  manifest  the  anchor  held,  for,  with  all 
our  purchase  on  the  chains,  not  an  inch  would  come. 
The  heavy  waves  struck  her  side  and  made  all  tremble; 
the  chain  looked  like  a  straight  bar  seaward,  the  tackles 

126 


AT    PERNAMBUCO    AND    RIO    DE    JANEIRO 

creaked,  loud  rang  the  "  Heave  O !  ahoy,"  as  every  man 
hung  on  his  handspike,  doing  his  utmost  to  start  her,  as 
yet  without  avail.  At  last  there  was  a  sort  of  lull  from 
fatigue,  and  great  anxiety  was  manifested  lest  some- 
thing should  give  way.  This  was  about  3  o'clock.  The 
tide  was  now  at  its  height,  and  great  seas  struck  the 
sides  of  the  vessel.  Suddenly,  as  the  largest  wave  shook 
her,  the  ropes  slackened !  The  immense  strain  had  done 
its  work  with  the  aid  of  the  sea  —  she  had  moved  a  couple 
of  inches.  "  Heave  away !  Heave  away !  Heave  like 
h — 1!  She  is  going!"  Again  the  chain  stood  like  a 
bar;  then  another  sea  struck  us,  and  again  the  tackles 
slackened,  to  be  again  heaved  taut.  By  this  time  the 
sand  had  become  mixed  up  with  water,  and  we  could  see 
her  turn  her  head  very  gradually  till  she  was  head  on, 
and  in  an  hour  she  was  off  and  anchored  safe  outside 
the  surf. 

She  was  perfectly  sound,  not  a  seam  had  been  started. 
As  the  vessel  was  nearly  new,  the  contractors  must  have 
made  a  very  pretty  thing  out  of  the  speculation.  This 
was  on  a  Saturday.  All  the  forenoon  the  beach  had  been 
full  of  people,  most  of  whom  made  insulting  gestures  and 
jeers  at  the  Yankee  fools  who  thought  they  could  pull  a 
ship  out  of  eight  feet  of  sand  into  the  ocean.  All  the 
people  left  the  beach  after  we  were  in  deep  water,  and 
here  we  were  without  boat,  without  food,  without 
water,  and  nobody  coming  to  our  assistance;  so  little 
faith  had  the  owner  had  in  the  contractors  getting  the 
vessel  off  without  laying  regular  ways  for  her  that  he 
had  not  even  stopped  to  see  the  result.  However,  we 
hoped  that  the  next  morning  aid  would  be  sent  us;  but 
none  came.  About  noon,  finding  no  one  had  come,  we 
felt  that  something  must  be  done,  especially  as  the  great 
swells  that  were  coming  in  from  the  east  gave  warning 
of  stormy  weather  in  the  near  future.  Some  one  must 
go  on  shore,  and  all  eyes  were  on  me.     I  said  I  would 

127 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

try,  though  the  surf  was  awful,  and  I  knew  by  experience 
that  the  undertow  must  be  dangerous,  the  beach  being  a 
steep  one.  They  gave  me  a  tumblerful  of  red  wine,  the 
only  thing  we  had  on  board  to  eat  or  drink,  and  so, 
putting  my  hat  inside  of  my  shirt,  so  as  not  to  lose  it,  I 
jumped  in.  The  swell  was  so  high  and  long  that,  with 
the  wine  in  my  stomach,  I  got  seasick  almost  at  once; 
but  I  swam  in  well  enough  till  I  came  into  the  surf.  I 
would  see  a  huge  roller  come  behind  me,  and  then  turn 
my  head  to  it,  dive  under,  and  come  out  on  the  smooth 
back  of  it,  but  it  was  hard  work,  as  there  were  so  many 
of  them ;  at  last  my  hat  got  washed  out,  and  in  trying  to 
recover  it  I  failed  to  turn  in  time  to  prevent  a  roller  tak- 
ing me  sideways  and  rolling  me  on  the  beach,  only  to 
take  me  back  again  in  the  undertow.  However,  I  got  to 
the  surface  again,  but  not  in  time  to  square  myself,  and 
again  I  felt  the  sand.  This  time,  however,  I  had  been 
carried  farther  up,  and,  knowing  what  my  only  chance 
was  now,  I  stuck  my  fingers  so  deeply  into  the  sand  that 
I  was  not  carried  back  as  before. 

I  need  not  say  that  I  did  not  wait  for  a  third  roller, 
but  hurried  out  of  harm's  way  as  quickly  as  I  could. 
Then,  exhausted,  I  fell  on  the  hot  sand  without  a  hat  — 
that  was  gone  forever  —  and  there  I  lay  till  I  felt  strong 
enough  to  walk  into  the  town,  where  I  arrived  just  as 
people  were  coming  out  of  church.  I  found  the  owner, 
and  he  promised  to  dispatch  a  boat  at  once,  which  he  did, 
and  I  returned  with  it.  We  were  given  food;  and  fresh 
anchors  and  chains  were  brought,  by  means  of  which  the 
vessel  was  brought  into  safer  anchorage. 

After  several  other  employments  of  more  or  less  labor, 
I  concluded  to  go  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  a  Norwegian  bark, 
which  required  constant  pumping  to  keep  afloat.  But 
before  leaving  Pernambuco  I  will  describe  the  sort  of 
lodging  there  was  at  the  time  in  the  sailor  boarding- 
house  which  for  so  many  months  was  my  home.    It  con- 

128 


AT  PERNAMBUCO  AND  RIO  DE  JANEIRO 

sisted  of  just  one  room,  opening  directly  on  the  street.  A 
long  table  with  wooden  benches  stretched  along  the  wall 
to  the  left  of  the  entrance,  and  the  bar  was  directly  in 
front.  Behind  this  were  casks  of  rum  and  wine  arranged 
in  order,  and  whence  the  landlord  dispensed  his  liquors. 
We  all  ate  at  the  table,  and  those  who  could  slept  there 
at  night.  Some  who  had  hammocks,  slung  them  to  the 
right  of  the  door;  but  the  greater  number  slept  on  such 
bed  as  they  possessed,  on  the  brick  floor.  By  special 
request  of  the  landlord  I  slept  on  the  bar,  being  charged 
not  to  allow  any  one  else  to  get  behind  at  the  liquor. 
This  I  was  enabled  to  do,  and,  moreover,  was  given  the 
privilege  of  administering  a  soporific  drink  to  a  poor  devil 
suffering  from  "  snakes."  By  the  way,  we  got  the  fellow 
out  and  put  him  into  the  surf  one  day.  It  nearly  killed 
him,  but  I  don't  remember  any  more  about  the  "  horrors." 

One  night  it  was  so  warm  I  thought  I  would  try 
to  sleep  under  a  shed  on  some  mahogany  logs.  It  was 
delicious  to  be  there  in  the  fresh  air,  after  being  nearly 
suffocated  in  that  dreadful  boarding-house.  I  fell  asleep, 
and  amid  pleasant  dreams  I  began  to  be  aware  of  a 
pressure  on  my  breast.  Opening  my  eyes  I  saw  a  soldier 
holding  his  bayonet  against  my  breast;  I  instantly 
snatched  it  from  him  and  flung  it  among  the  timbers, 
where  perhaps  he  found  it  the  next  day.  However,  he 
told  me  that  I  must  go  to  the  calaboose  with  him.  He 
searched  me  and  took  what  was  in  my  pocket,  a  few 
vintines,  a  jack  knife,  and  a  pack  of  cards.  I  could  by 
this  time  make  myself  understood  in  Portuguese,  and 
told  him  where  I  lived  and  why  I  was  where  he  found 
me  (it  was  government  property),  and  he  consented  to 
let  me  go  home,  but  he  robbed  me  all  the  same. 

Our  passage  to  Rio  was  memorable  only  from  the  fact 
that  our  whole  time  was  spent  at  the  pumps.  For  forty- 
eight  hours  the  only  sleep  I  had  was  dozing  between  the 
spells   at   pumping,   but   after   three   or   four   days   we 

129 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

anchored  safely  in  its  beautiful  harbor.  After  getting  on 
shore  into  a  boarding-house,  I  went  with  a  man  who  had 
been  on  the  "  Helen  Mar  "  with  me  to  the  United  States 
consul,  and  he,  after  hearing  our  story,  gave  us  a  note 
to  the  landlord,  saying  he  would  pay  our  board  till  we 
could  get  a  chance  to  go  home.  This  man,  an  old  ship- 
mate, had  taken  a  strange  fancy  to  me,  notwithstanding 
my  open  and  frequently  expressed  dislike  to  him.  I 
cannot  recall  his  name,  but  he  was  a  Yankee  of  a  rather 
disagreeable  type.  Even  while  in  Africa  I  had  once  had  a 
quarrel  with  him,  and  even  gone  so  far  as  to  scald  his 
hand  with  boiling  tea,  because  he  was  trying  to  take  it 
before  I  was  ready  to  give  it  to  him.  I  had  avoided  him 
on  shore  all  I  could,  and  thought  I  was  fairly  rid  of 
him,  when  I  agreed  to  leave  Pernambuco  as  above  re- 
lated; but  there  he  was  again,  having  got  on  board  at 
the  last  moment.  Well,  after  getting  my  chest  ashore, 
and  establishing  myself  at  the  rather  comfortable  board- 
ing-house in  Rio,  I  felt  that  I  could  give  my  shadow  the 
slip.    Alas !  for  human  proposition,  it  was  not  to  be. 


130 


'  XII 

MAN-OF-WAR  LIFE 

I  AROSE  at  daylight  next  morning;  the  day  was 
lovely,  the  balmy  and  sweet-smelling  land  wind 
making  the  early  hours  delicious.  I  started  for  a 
stroll  before  breakfast,  a  red  flannel  shirt,  a  pair  of  duck 
trousers,  and  an  old  straw  hat,  constituting  my  whole 
toilet.  Shoes  were  so  superfluous  in  that  hot  climate, 
that,  but  for  fear  of  the  chicos  (a  pesky  little  creature  that 
deposits  its  eggs  in  the  skin  of  the  foot),  I  should  never 
have  worn  any.  This  morning  I  did  not  have  them  on, 
but  wandered  in  a  happy-go-lucky  kind  of  way  smoking 
my  short  dudeen  which  was  always  my  companion.  A 
sailor's  promenade  will  sooner  or  later  trend  toward  the 
water,  and,  sure  enough,  I  found  myself  at  the  usual  boat- 
landing,  whence  I  could  see  far  down  into  the  outer  bay. 
It  was  well  dotted  with  sails  and  vessels  at  anchor,  and  I 
enjoyed  the  scene  with  the  double  sense  of  a  sailor  and  a 
natural  love  of  art.  There  was  a  United  States  man-of- 
war  just  getting  under  way,  but  far  off  down  the  bay,  and 
a  wish  came  over  me  to  try  a  cruise  in  a  war  ship.  Still 
I  had  no  real  idea  of  doing  it  till  I  found  my  spectre 
standing  by  the  side  of  me.  He  told  me  that,  having 
woke  up  and  finding  me  gone,  he  had  been  hunting  the 
town  over  to  find  me.  This  decided  me.  The  market 
boat  of  the  "  Falmouth  "  sloop-of-war,  that  I  saw  getting 
ready  to  sail,  was  at  the  landing.  I  asked  the  crew  if 
they  thought  I  could  ship  in  her;  they  informed  me  that 
two  men  had  run  away  the  night  before,  and  it  was  likely 
that  I  would  be  received.  Just  then  the  midshipman  in 
charge  came  along.     He  was  a   fine,  large,  well-made 

131 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

blonde  of  twenty-one  or  thereabouts;  his  name  was 
Schenck,  afterwards  commodore,  and  brother  to  the  ex- 
minister  to  England.  Going  up  to  him,  I  asked  if  he 
thought  I  could  get  on  board.  He  said  he  did  not  doubt 
it,  but  that  he  could  not  take  me  in  the  boat.  If  I  could 
get  a  shore  boat  to  take  me  off,  no  doubt  all  would  be 
well.  Unfortunately,  I  had  no  money,  and  I  told  him  so. 
"  Here,"  he  said,  "  hold  your  hat ;  here  is  a  lot  of  copper 
that  I  can  do  nothing  with,"  and  with  that  flung  into  it 
nearly  a  millrais  in  two-vintine  pieces  (about  sixty  cents). 
I  turned  to  a  boatman  and  asked  him  if  he 
would  take  me  on  board  for  the  money,  and  he  told  me 
to  step  in.  "  Now,"  thought  I,  "  I  am  at  last  rid  of  my 
persecutor,"  so  turning  round  to  him,  I  offered  my  hand 
to  bid  him  good-bye ;  but  what  was  my  chagrin  when  he 
said :  "  I  guess  I  may  as  well  go,  too,"  and  into  the  boat 
he  stepped.  So  there  I  was,  with  the  prospect  of  nearly 
three  years  longer  companionship.  If  I  had  been  capable 
of  hate,  I  think  I  could  have  hated  that  fellow,  but  he 
always  showed  himself  so  friendly  and  ready  to  do  any- 
thing for  me,  that  I  had  not  the  heart  to  show  my  real 
feelings,  and  I  dare  say  that,  on  the  whole,  he  thought  I 
loved  him,  imputing  my  bearishness  to  my  naturally 
brusque  manner. 

Well,  we  were  permitted  to  get  on  board,  and  the 
moment  we  stepped  on  the  side  ladder  the  boatman 
shoved  off,  and  here  we  were.  I  shall  never  forget  how 
my  heart  sank  when  I  looked  over  the  hammock  netting 
down  on  the  deck  of  the  ship.  To  the  left  of  me,  on  a 
gun,  stood  the  boatswain,  with  his  whistle.  Not  a  word 
was  spoken,  yet  everybody  seemed  to  understand  what 
to  do.  The  decks  seemed  to  swarm  with  men,  all  dressed 
in  blue,  with  black  tarpaulin  hats.  Immense  chains  full 
of  blue  mud  encumbered  the  deck,  from  the  mainmast  to 
the  bows,  and  one  gang  of  men  were  throwing  water  on 
and  scrubbing  them,  while  others  were  catting  the  anchor, 

132 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE 

and  others  again  trimming  the  sails  and  getting  stud- 
dings  sails  ready  to  set,  for  we  were  fast  leaving  port 
under  full-sail,  and  with  a  fair  wind  and  fresh  breeze. 
We  were  told  to  go  aft  to  the  captain,  who  was  standing 
on  the  poop. 

"  So  you  want  to  ship,  eh  ?"  "  Yes,  sir."  "  Are  you 
able  seamen?"  I  spoke  for  myself,  and  answered,  "  Yes." 
"  Well,  we  can't  ship  you  as  able  seamen,  but  if  you  be- 
have you  will  be  promoted.  Now  go  down  and  let  the 
surgeon  examine  you." 

This  was  done,  and,  though  at  the  time  I  was  slightly 
ruptured,  I  could  not  be  turned  ashore,  and  so  was  ac- 
cepted. We  then  went  into  the  cabin  and  signed  the 
articles,  after  which  we  were  turned  over  to  the  first 
lieutenant  for  duty.  The  captain  of  the  maintop.  Jack 
Williams,  an  old  English  seadog,  came  up  at  once  and 
claimed  me  for  his  top  and  mess,  and  my  companion 
was  put  into  the  foretop.  This  arrangement  finally  sep- 
arated us,  and  I  had  so  little  to  do  with  my  quondam 
shipmate  afterwards  that  I  have  absolutely  forgotten  his 
name. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  get  the  necessary 
blue  flannels  and  blue  cloth  to  dress  with.  I  was  in- 
formed that  three  yards  of  the  former  would  make  a 
shirt,  and  that  I  had  better  get  six  yards  so  as  to  give 
somebody  half  of  it  for  making  me  a  shirt,  or  "  frock,"  as 
it  was  called  in  naval  parlance.  There  was  less  hurry 
about  the  trousers,  as  white  was  worn  also  in  the  navy, 
though  my  red  shirt  was  inadmissible.  I  was  at  once 
installed  in  my  duties,  and,  as  I  was  a  smart  sailor,  en- 
tirely competent  to  do  whatever  was  required,  these  did 
never  prove  hard.  My  station  was,  as  before  said,  in 
the  maintop,  and  my  particular  charge  there  was  the 
royal  yard,  i.  e.,  royalyards  man.  I  was  often,  at  this 
time,  thankful  for  the  training  I  had  had  on  the  old 
"  Prudent "  under  Moriarty.    As  I  before  stated,  the  ap- 

^33 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

pearance  of  the  deck  and  the  disordered  state  of  every- 
thing was  sickening  and  depressing  in  the  extreme.  Most 
of  this,  however,  was  due  to  the  foul  state  of  the  chains, 
the  links  of  which  were  filled  with  the  tough  blue  clay 
which  composed  the  bottom  of  this  splendid  bay.  Be- 
sides, as  I  soon  learned,  as  everything  that  can  be  is  done 
at  once,  or  simultaneously,  in  a  man-of-war,  some  tem- 
porary confusion  is  not  always  avoidable ;  but  long  before 
the  boatswain  mate's  pipe  whistled  its  prolonged  note, 
which  I  found  meant  dinner,  and  the  roll  of  the  drum 
preceding  it,  which  was  a  call  for  the  whiskey  ration,  not 
a  vestige  remained  of  disorder  or  dirt.  The  grog  was  first 
served  out,  the  purser's  steward  being  seated  before  a 
covered  tub,  with  a  large  opening  in  the  top,  which,  when 
not  in  use,  was  covered  and  secured  with  an  iron  bar  and 
padlock.  Through  this  hole  he  passed  a  long  handled 
pannican  into  the  whiskey,  and  with  it  filled  a  number  of 
small  tin  cups  which  surrounded  the  chine.  Each  man 
took  one,  and  either  emptied  it  into  his  mouth  or  into  a 
tin  cup  in  which  a  little  water  had  previously  been 
poured;  but  all  had  to  be  drank,  as  they  say,  on  the 
premises,  though  frequent  evasion  of  the  rule  were  prac- 
ticed by  making  believe  to  drink,  when  a  man  wished  to 
sell  his  grog  to  another,  a  frequent  practice.  The  allow- 
ance of  whiskey  was  half  a  pint  a  day,  and  these  "  tots," 
as  the  small  cups  were  called,  each  held  one-third  of 
that  quantity,  quite  a  reasonable  drink  for  a  moderate 
man. 

From  the  whiskey  tub,  or  grog  tub,  as  it  is  technically 
called,  we  went  below  onto  the  berth-deck  for  dinner. 
This  was  served  on  what  we  called  mess-cloths,  a  sort  of 
large  tablecloth  made  of  sail  duck.  These  were  spread, 
each  in  its  appointed  place,  in  front  of  the  mess  chest, 
on  a  deck  so  white  and  clean  that  to  find  a  spot  of  any 
kind  upon  it,  when  the  master-at-arms  made  his  morn- 
ing rounds,  was  a  sufficient  cause  for  severe  punishment 

134 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE 

for  the  cook  of  the  mess  —  a  duty  which  each  messmate 
had  to  take  in  weekly  turns.  Behind  the  mess  chest, 
which  contained  the  necessary  implements  for  our  simple 
table,  was  the  bag  rack.  Each  man  was  provided  with  a 
black  painted  bag  of  heavy  cotton  canvas,  having  a  draw- 
string at  the  top,  and  at  the  bottom  a  "  toggle,"  a  sort 
of  wooden  button  strongly  attached,  by  which  the  bag 
that  was  wanted  could  be  pulled  out  without  disturbing 
the  rest.  The  cook  of  the  mess  was  relieved  from  all 
other  duty  except  to  receive  the  allowance  from  the 
purser's  mate,  prepare  it  for  the  ship's  cook,  mark  it  so 
as  to  be  sure  to  get  his  own  when  the  meal  was  served, 
set  the  "  table,"  wash  the  pots  and  pans  (our  only  dishes), 
clean  up  after  each  meal,  and  keep  his  part  of  the  deck 
in  required  order. 

Although  I  only  learned  the  regulations  by  degrees, 
this  may  be  as  good  a  place  as  any  to  describe  the  daily 
fare.  For  Sunday  we  were  allowed  to  each  man  one 
pound  of  salt  beef  and  half  a  pound  of  flour.  The  mess 
contained  usually  from  twelve  to  fourteen  men.  In  mine 
(No.  ii)  we  numbered  thirteen,  consisting  of  the  lar- 
board watch  of  maintop  men;  thus  we  were  entitled  to 
thirteen  pounds  of  beef  and  six  and  one-half  pounds  of 
flour,  with  twenty-six  ounces  of  raisins,  quite  enough  for 
a  good  pudding,  or  "  duff,"  as  it  was  called.  Besides,  each 
man  had  twelve  ounces  of  pilot  or  navy  bread  per  diem. 
For  Monday  we  had  salt  pork,  three-fourths  pound  per 
man,  to  which  rice  was  usually  added.  Tuesday,  pork. 
Wednesday,  beef.  Thursday,  the  Sunday  fare  was  re- 
peated, and  Friday  was  known  as  "  Banyan  day."  No 
meat  was  allowed  on  this  day,  but  each  man  had  four 
ounces  of  butter,  four  of  cheese,  one-half  pound  of  rice, 
four  ounces  of  raisins,  one-half  pint  of  molasses,  and 
one-half  inch  of  sperm  candle,  the  latter  article  being,  of 
course,  in  one  piece,  and  generally  sufficient  for  the 
needed  purpose,  no  light  being  allowed  after  8  o'clock 

135 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

at  night.  Saturday  was  a  repetition  of  Tuesday,  as  near 
as  I  can  remember. 

It  will  be  seen  that  neither  tea  nor  coffee  was  in  the 
regular  allowed  stores;  but  we  did  not,  on  that  account, 
go  without  those  articles,  for  the  other  allowance  was 
so  ample  that  we  could  stop  two  rations.  The  service 
allowed  $12  per  ration  per  quarter  (three  months),  which 
gave  the  mess  $24  to  use  for  extras  during  that  time. 
This  was  enough  for  the  tea  we  needed,  and  even  coffee, 
should  we  like,  but  this  article  we  never  used.  The  rice, 
also,  was  permitted  to  accumulate,  as  sailors  generally 
detest  it,  calling  it  contemptuously  "  swamp  seed,"  and 
having  saved  up  a  quantity  we  exchanged  it  for  potatoes 
at  the  first  port  we  came  to.  Breakfast  consisted  usually 
of  lobscouse,  a  stew  made  of  pork,  beef,  and  potatoes, 
when  we  had  them,  and  hard  bread  if  we  did  not  have 
them.  Tea  or  supper,  as  it  was  called,  consisted  of  what 
was  left  from  dinner  that  was  not  needed  for  breakfast. 
As  I  am  writing  this  fresh  from  a  nice  dinner,  with  claret, 
the  above  described  fare  seems  very  poor;  but  my 
memory  calls  forth  no  regret  at  that  time.  It  was  so 
much  better  than  the  ordinary  fare  in  a  merchantman 
that  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  continual  feast. 

In  port  we  often  had  fresh  meat,  one  and  one-fourth 
pounds  to  each  man,  and  plenty  of  vegetables  for  soup. 
Each  cook  of  the  mess  put  his  meat  into  a  net  tagged 
with  the  number  of  the  mess,  handing  it  to  the  ship's 
cook,  who  put  all  together  into  a  huge  square  iron  boiler, 
a  fixture  in  the  arrangement  of  the  galley.  There  were 
two  of  these,  and  they  were  large  enough  for  a  man  to 
go  inside  to  clean  them  every  day.  When  the  dinner 
was  ready,  each  man  received  what  he  had  put  in.  The 
same  was  done  with  the  "  duff,"  which  was  prepared  by 
the  mess  cook,  the  ingredients  being  flour,  the  fat  from 
the  beef  and  pork  being  worked  into  it,  then  the  raisins 
added,  the  whole  being  mixed  with  half  salt  water  and 

136 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE 

half  fresh,  into  a  rather  stiff  batter,  poured  into  a  canvas 
bag,  tied  up,  labeled,  and  given  to  the  ship's  cook  to  be 
boiled  in  1:he  great  boiler.  I  have  been  thus  particular 
because  so  many  changes  have  been  made  since  that  time 
that  it  may  be  of  interest  to  many  to  know  how  things 
were  done  many  years  ago. 

But  to  r^eturn  to  my  own  story.  I  had  not  been  on 
board  an  hour  before  I  was  nicknamed.  An  English 
sailor,  one  Tom  Allen,  who  afterwards  became  my  most 
intimate  friend,  having  made  a  voyage  to  Riga,  had 
caught  a  few  Russian  words,  and,  believing  me  to  be 
from  somewhere  in  that  neighborhood,  he  called  me 
Jacky  Dobra,  that  being  the  name  the  Russians  were  in 
the  habit  of  calling  English  sailors:  Jack  for  the  sailor, 
and  dobra  for  good.  I  was  furious  at  being  taken  for  a 
Russian;  but  the  more  I  showed  opposition  the  more  the 
whole  crew  took  up  the  refrain,  and,  as  I  could  not  well 
fight  200  men,  I  was  obliged  to  be  content  with  my  lot, 
and  the  nickname  was  the  only  one  by  which  I  was 
known  among  my  comrades.  This  circumstance,  how- 
ever, served  me  some  good  turns,  as  will  be  seen  here- 
after. 

Well,  we  were  now  at  sea,  and  the  first  morning  had 
dawned  on  my  life  on  board  of  a  man-of-war.  Breakfast 
being  over,  all  hands  were  called  to  witness  punishment. 
The  boatswain  and  his  mates  piped  a  long  call,  and  then 
each  one  cried  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  All  hands 
witness  punishment."  I  thought  I  had  got  into  the 
wrong  ship,  and  I  had  strong  misgivings  lest  I  had  made 
the  mistake  of  my  life.  However,  here  I  was.  We  were 
assembled  forward  of  the  main-mast  on  the  starboard 
side.  The  culprits  had  to  take  off  their  shirts,  their 
feet  being  tied  to  a  grating,  then  the  wrists  were  fastened 
with  cords  to  the  eyebolts,  where  the  manropes  are 
usually  fastened  at  the  gangway.  The  captain  and  officers 
stood  near  by;  the  former  mentioned  the  fault  for  which 

137 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  punishment  was  to  be  inflicted  (in  this  case  it  was 
drunkenness  and  absence  without  leave).  All  this  time 
the  sufferer  stood  with  his  shirt  thrown  over  his  back. 
When  the  captain  gave  the  word,  the  shirt  was  removed, 
and  the  chief  boatswain's  mate  swung  the  cat-of-nine- 
tails,  an  instrument  made  of  hard  twisted  cords,  whipped 
at  the  ends,  but  without  knots;  there  are  nine  cords 
fastened  to  a  wooden  handle  covered  with  green  baize. 
The  blow  descended,  red  marks  were  instantly  visible 
across  the  bare  back,  an  involuntary  inward  movement 
was  made,  while  the  man  set  his  teeth.  Eleven  more 
blows  followed,  but  not  a  groan  was  heard;  it  was  over, 
and  the  man  was  untied,  put  on  his  shirt,  and  joined  his 
comrades.  Next  came  the  other,  and  the  same  ceremony, 
but  with  different  results.  This  man,  having  less  nerve, 
writhed,  groaned,  and  at  last  roared  from  pain  as  the 
last  four  or  five  strokes  descended  on  his  quivering  flesh. 
It  was  horrible,  inhuman;  but,  thank  God,  the  practice 
is  now  abolished.  What  made  the  matter  worse  was 
that  it  often  happened  that  some  of  the  best  men  in  the 
ship  were  punished  in  this  way,  liquor  being  always  at 
the  bottom. 

Thus,  my  first  day  of  man-of-war  life  did  not  seem 
propitious.  But  it  was  a  long  while  before  I  saw  the  like 
again.  Captain  Isaac  McKeever  being  a  humane  man, 
though  a  strict  disciplinarian.  Our  first  lieutenant's 
name  was  Lyons,  a  Virginian,  one  of  the  kindest  and 
noblest  of  men.  L.  G.  Keith  was  the  third  lieutenant,  a 
sharp  disciplinarian,  a  perfect  terror  to  anyone  who 
skulked.  We  called  him  Bonaparte.  I  don't  know  just 
why,  except  for  his  capacity  to  command.  He  was  a 
slightly-made  man,  delicate  and  sickly,  pale  and  sallow, 
with  a  sharp  nose,  partly  made  by  a  plastic  operation. 
The  fourth  lieutenant  was  named  Gilles,  afterward  well 
known  from  his  report  on  the  astronomical  and  meteor- 
ological state  of  things  in  Chili.    He  was  a  good-looking 

138 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE 

man,  but  slow  in  movement,  and  often  distracted  and 
forgetful.  A  kind  officer  he  always  was.  I  see  I  have 
forgotten ^th^  second  lieutenant;  a  meaner  person  never 
disgraced  our  navy.  Small  of  stature,  small  of  mind, 
cowardly  and  vile,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  he  was 
ever  trying  to  exercise  his  authority  in  the  most  offensive 
way. 

For  reasons,  which,  of  course,  I  cannot  know.  Captain 
McKeever  had  determined  to  go  through  the  Straits  of 
Magellan,  instead  of  the  usual  course  round  Cape  Horn. 
It  must  have  been  near  the  end  of  November,  1837,  that 
we  arrived  at  the  entrance  to  the  straits.  As  I  remember 
the  island  of  Terra  del  Fuego,  to  the  left  of  us,  it  pre- 
sented nothing  to  the  view  but  a  steep  and  high  range  of 
rocks,  while  the  Patagonian  side,  to  the  right,  was  less 
rugged  and  forbidding.  As  the  wind  was  blowing  rather 
hard  out  of  the  straits,  and  a  strong  tide  was  running 
against  us,  we  dropped  our  starboard  anchor,  the  smaller, 
and  lowered  the  topsails  on  to  the  caps,  while  the  courses 
were  simply  clewed  up  and  made  as  snug  as  possible 
without  stowing  them. 

We  had  been  at  anchor  but  a  short  time  before  a 
whaleboat  containing  two  men  was  seen  to  approach. 
They  came  alongside,  and  said  they  wished  to  come  on 
board.  This  being  permitted,  they  informed  us  that 
they  were  part  of  a  boat's  crew  left  by  a  sealing  schooner 
on  a  rock  outside  of  Terra  del  Fuego  for  the  purpose  of 
killing  seals,  the  schooner  was  to  be  back  in  a  short 
time  to  take  them  off;  that  they  had  waited  until  their 
provisions  were  exhausted,  having  been  on  the  rock  two 
months ;  and  that  despairing  of  their  vessel  coming  back 
to  their  relief,  they  had  pulled  into  the  straits  and  made 
friends  of  the  natives;  that  their  companions  had  con- 
cluded to  remain,  but  that  they  wanted  to  get  away,  etc. 
Their  boat  was  accordingly  hoisted  on  board,  and  they 
became  part  of  the  crew.    One  of  the  men,  on  being  con-  ' 

139 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

suited  by  the  captain,  said  that  we  were  not  lying  in  a 
safe  place,  the  bottom  being  rocky  and  anchorage  un- 
certain ;  that  we  had  better  get  in  farther  as  soon  as  the 
tide  should  permit. 

It  was  thought  necessary  to  let  go  the  best  bower, 
the  larboard,*  which  was  also  done,  but  it  was  found 
that  even  then  the  anchors  did  not  hold  well.  It  blew 
almost  a  gale,  the  beetling  rocks  of  Terra  del  Fuego  were 
only  half  a  mile  to  leeward,  and  it  began  to  look  decidedly 
ugly.  The  order  was  then  given  to  clear  away  the  sheet 
anchor,  too,  on  the  larboard  side.  This  was  stowed  with 
permanent  lashings  on  the  railing  just  abaft  the  fore- 
rigging,  and  was  covered  by  the  hammock  netting, 
which,  indeed,  is  made  over  the  fluke.  The  old-fashioned 
hemp  cable  was  not  yet  extinct,  and  it  was  this  that  had 
to  be  bent  to  the  anchor.  While  a  gang  of  men  were 
busy  getting  this  enormous  and  stiff  mass  of  hemp  on 
deck  (it  measured  eight  inches  through)  others  were  cut- 
ting away  the  hammock  netting  and  lashings,  getting  a 
tackle  up  to  raise  the  anchor  from  its  place  so  as  to  let 
it  go.  All  this  was  soon  done,  and  we  were  now  ready 
to  drop  our  strongest  hope.  However,  to  have  done  so 
while  so  much  was  out  of  the  two  chain  cables  would 
have  been  of  no  use,  as  we  could  not  pass  out  more  of 
the  first  chain.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary  to  heave  in 
some  on  that,  the  anchor  now  having  got  hold  so  that  it 
no  longer  dragged. 

In  order  that  what  follows  may  be  understood,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  describe  the  manner  in  which  a  man-of- 
war's  anchor  was  raised  before  the  days  of  steam.  In 
a  ship  of  the  above  kind  there  was  no  windlass  with 
which  to  heave  the  anchor,  the  capstan,  situated  abaft 
the  main  mast,  being  used  instead.    The  chain,  or  cable. 


*  I  use  the  term  larboard,  as  up  to  this  time  the  word  port 
was  only  used  in  conning  ships  (directing  the  steering). 

140 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE 

could  not  be  taken  to  the  capstan,  and,  therefore,  the  so- 
called  messenger  was  used;  this  consisted  of  a  large 
hawser,  the^  two  ends  of  which  were  joined  by  means 
of  lashings  between  the  eyesplices  in  its  ends.  It  thus 
became  an  endless  rope,  three  turns  of  which  were 
passed  around  the  capstan,  the  rest  of  the  messenger 
being  passed  forward,  so  that  the  bight  went  under  the 
heel  of  the  bowsprit  into  what  was  called  the  "  manger," 
a  semicircular  space  inclosing  the  hawse-holes  through 
which  the  cables  were  passed. 

Now,  when  the  anchor  was  to  be  heaved  on,  the  chain 
was  secured  to  the  messenger  by  a  gang  of  men  reaching 
from  the  foremast  to  the  main  hatch,  in  the  corner  of 
which  the  chain  passed  down  to  its  locker  below.  It 
was  the  duty  of  the  first  half  of  this  gang  to  surround 
the  chain  and  messenger  with  what  was  called  nippers, 
short  braided  ropes,  and  thus  by  successive  turns  or 
windings  "  marry  "  the  two ;  these  short  ties  were  held 
by  the  hands  till  the  next  man  got  hold,  and  those  near 
the  hatch  untwisted  them  when  the  messenger  boys 
passed  them  forward  again  to  be  used  there.  Thus,  as 
the  capstan  revolved,  the  messenger  drew  the  chain  in, 
at  the  same  time  allowing  it  to  run  down  into  the  chain 
locker,  unless  when  dirty,  it  was  left  on  deck.  Two  or 
three  men  were  stationed  near  the  capstan,  to  hold  on  to 
the  messenger  to  prevent  it  slipping  around  the  capstan, 
and  the  chief  of  these  was  a  quarter-gunner's  place.  From 
twenty  to  thirty  men  or  more  manned  the  capstan  bars, 
and  thus  there  would  be  a  constant  strain  on  the  cable, 
winding  it  in,  link  after  link,  through  the  hawse-hole.  An 
order  was  given  to  man  the  capstan.  A  quarter-gunner, 
named  Joe  Kelsey,  was  the  first  man  to  hold  on  to  the 
messenger.  Word  was  given  to  heave  away,  or  rather  the 
boatswain  piped  the  order.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  fore- 
top  men  to  apply  the  nippers  to  the  messenger  and  the 
chain,  and  that  of  the  maintop  men  to  take  them  off,  and 

141 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

among  them  ought  to  have  been  my  place;  but  more 
men  were  needed  at  the  capstan,  and  I  went  to  the  bars. 
We  had  nearly  the  whole  of  the  smaller  chain  out,  and 
perhaps  half  of  that  of  the  best  bower,  the  intention  being 
to  heave  in  as  much  as  was  deemed  safe,  in  order  that 
there  would  be  scope  enough  to  allow  the  sheet-anchor 
to  get  a  good  hold  when  let  go.  We  were  thus  marching 
cheerily  round  the  capstan  (some  fifty  of  us)  when  sud- 
denly the  lashings  of  the  messenger  parted,  and  the  huge 
hawser,  being  thus  loosed  of  control,  flew  like  lightning 
round  the  capstan,  knocking  everyone  hither  and  thither, 
injuring  many  quite  severely.  I  found  myself  lying  out 
of  breath  by  the  cabin  door,  but,  fortunately,  not  much 
hurt.  Otherwise  was  it  with  poor  Joe  Kelsey,  whose 
thigh  was  broken,  and  who,  being  the  most  exposed  from 
his  sitting  position,  was  also  internally  injured  by  the 
contact  with  the  rope.  Naturally,  everybody  had  to  let 
go  the  nippers,  and  away  went  the  chain  through  the 
hawse-hole  at  lightning  speed.  So  quickly  was  all  done, 
and  such  the  backward  speed  of  the  ship,  that  when  the 
slack  of  the  best  bower  was  up  no  one  felt  the  shock, 
when,  like  a  thread,  the  great  link,  nearly  two  inches  in 
diameter,  parted. 

Thus  both  anchors  were  gone,  half  of  one  cable  and 
the  whole  of  the  other  —  indeed,  so  complete  was  the  loss 
of  the  latter  that  the  bolt  which  fastened  it  to  the  keelson 
was  torn  out  with  it,  while  the  value  of  the  chain  lost 
was  shown  in  the  fact  that  not  only  did  it  not  break,  but 
it  tore  the  corner  off  the  combing  of  the  hatch  with  its 
cast-iron Hknee,  over  which  it  was  made  to  pass  quite 
through  to  the  deck !  All  this  took  much  less  time  than 
it  takes  me  to  write  it. 

"  Man  the  topsail  halliards  V  was  the  stentorian  com- 
mand of  our  anxious  captain.  "  I'll  cut  the  backbone 
out  of  the  first  s — n  of  a  b — h  that  looks  over  the  ham- 
mock netting,"  was  the  next  cry;  this  because  some,  in 

142 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE 

their  anxiety,  had  mounted  on  the  guns  and  were  looking 
round.  I  mention  this  latter  speech  of  the  captain's  be- 
cause it  was  the  only  time  I  ever  knew  him  to  curse. 
Nor  was  this  child's  play ;  for  when  the  topsails  were  up 
and  trimmed  to  the  wind,  so  that  the  ship  began  to  gather 
headway,  we  were  not  a  cable's  length  from  the  fearful 
rocks.  But  she  weathered  them,  and  in  a  little  while 
we  were  in  open  sea  with  plenty  of  room. 

It  commenced  to  blow  a  gale  as  we  shaped  our  course 
to  double  Cape  Horn,  and  it  became  so  difficult  a  matter 
to  set  Kelsey's  thigh-bone  that  when,  after  a  while,  it 
grew  together,  the  leg  was  two  inches  shorter  than  the 
other.  I  may,  right  here,  finish  the  story  of  his  life  by 
saying  that,  though  he  got  about,  his  inward  injury 
caused  an  abscess  of  the  chest,  of  which,  in  about  a  year 
or  thereabouts  he  died.  Old  Joe  Kelsey  was  a  strange 
character,  and  many  were  the  stories  he  told.  His  life 
had,  of  course,  been  full  of  adventure  and  hairbreadth 
escapes.  He  had  some  deformity  of  the  nose,  which  had 
once  been  crushed  by  a  fearful  fall,  and  it  had  caused 
that  sort  of  impediment  of  speech  which  usually  is  the 
result  of  defective  or  injured  palate. 

The  account  of  the  accident  was  thus  given:  Many- 
years  ago,  when  he  was  a  young  man-of-war  man,  he 
was  at  Valparaiso;  among  others  he  visited  a  bad  house 
which  stood  on  the  edge  of  a  sheer  cliff  of  one  of  the  hills 
of  that  city,  in  those  days  known  as  fore,  main,  and  miz- 
zen  tops  —  I  don't  know  which  it  was ;  but  in  a  drunken 
row  his  life  was  threatened  by  some  Spaniards,  to  avoid 
whom  he  jumped  through  a  window,  not  knowing  the  ex- 
tent of  its  height  from  the'subjacent  foot  of  the  rock.  He 
came  down  upon  the  humble  abode  of  some  fisherman, 
who  had  fixed  his  shelter  against  the  sheer  rock.  For- 
tunately, the  roof  was  of  reeds  and  palm  leaves.  This 
broke  his  fall,  though  it  did  not  prevent  him  from  burst- 
ing through,  to  fall  down  upon  the  table  at  which  the 

143 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

family  were  seated  at  supper.  He  was,  of  course,  much 
shaken  up  by  this  unlucky  gymnastic  feat,  but  eventually 
recovered,  the  crushed  nose  and  defective  speech  being  its 
only  permanent  results.  Joe  was  a  wicked  man  to  the 
last,  and  expired  with  curses  on  his  lips. 

Our  passage  around  Cape  Horn  was  a  memorable  one, 
on  account  of  a  most  fearful  storm  which  we  encoun- 
tered after  doubling  the  cape.  The  wind  blew  with  hurri- 
cane violence,  and  I  never  saw  such  a  sea.  All  hands 
were  on  deck  the  whole  of  one  night,  every  man  ready  to 
grasp  some  rope  to  prevent  his  being  washed  overboard, 
as  under  the  three-reefed  maintopsail  and  reefed  fore 
course  the  old  ship  labored  through  the  heavy  seas.  The 
captain  and  first  lieutenant  stood  near  me,  both  fastened 
with  ropes  from  the  belaying  racks  of  the  larboard  side 
of  the  mizzen  mast.  Several  huge  seas  came  on  board; 
one  of  them  poured  itself  down  into  the  main  hatch, 
which  till  then  was  partly  open.  The  mess  chest  and 
everything  loose  were  afloat  below.  My  hammock,  which 
happened  to  be  near  the  hatch,  was  filled  with  water,  and, 
as  the  vessel  pitched  and  rolled,  it  was  impossible  to  do 
anything  on  the  berth-deck,  where  the  greatest  confusion 
existed.  About  midnight  the  storm  increased ;  one  heavy 
sea  struck  the  port  hammock  netting  with  such  force  as 
to  make  a  large  breach  in  it,  and  even  to  move  the  sheet- 
anchor  in  its  lashings.  Still  it  was  necessary,  in  view  of 
the  dangerous  shore,  to  keep  the  course  and  carry  all  the 
sail  she  would  bear. 

Toward  morning  I  heard  the  first  lieutenant  say, 
"  Captain  McKeever,  I  fear  we  must  take  in  the  last  reef 
in  the  maintopsail."  I  ought  to  have  said  that  in  the 
earlier  part  of  the  storm  one  of  its  sheets  had  been  carried 
away,  and  new  rawhide  sheets  had  been  bent.  These 
were,  of  course,  very  elastic,  and  would  give  and  take  a 
foot  or  even  more,  as  the  flaws  would  come.  On  con- 
sultation with  the  boatswain,  it  was  deemed  too  danger- 

144 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE 

ous  to  attempt  to  reef ;  in  fact,  it  was  declared  impossible 
under  the  circumstances,  as  the  ship  could  not,  without 
the  greatest  danger,  be  "  hove  to."  "  Let  all  stand,  Mr. 
Lyon,"  was  the  captain's  order ;  "  she  must  bear  what 
she's  got."  And  she  did  bear  it.  About  sunrise  the  storm 
abated,  and  soon  all  danger  was  over,  but  I  shall  never 
forget  that  night. 

We  arrived  safely  in  Valparaiso,  where  we  remained 
some  weeks  to  repair  damages  and  replace  the  anchors 
and  chains  which  had  been  lost,  but  I  cannot  at  this  time 
remember  going  ashore  there.  The  whaleboat  belonging 
to  the  sealers  was  furbished  up,  and  changed  so  as  to 
become  the  captain's  gig;  it  was  painted  ultramarine  blue, 
with  a  gilt  line  around,  white  inside,  and  was  not  only 
the  handsomest,  but  the  swiftest  boat  on  the  station. 

Long  afterward  I  learned  the  sequel  of  the  history  of 
the  sealing  schooner,  and  a  very  sad  one  it  proved  to  be. 
The  story  was  that  she  had  been  detained  much  longer 
than  was  expected,  and  that,  having  returned  and  finding 
no  vestige  of  the  boat  or  crew  on  the  rock  where  they 
were  left,  the  captain  concluded  to  look  for  them  in  the 
straits,  and  he  accordingly  cast  anchor  at  its  mouth. 
Soon  a  large  number  of  natives  were  coming  off  in  canoes, 
and,  drawing  near,  it  was  seen  that  some  of  them  were 
dressed,  or  partly  dressed,  in  clothing  belonging  to  the 
boat's  crew.  Taking  for  granted  that  the  crew  had  been 
killed,  and  fearing  an  attack  on  the  vessel,  they  were 
fired  upon  by  order  of  the  captain,  their  canoes  sunk,  and 
many  Indians  killed  and  wounded.  The  schooner  left 
at  once,  and  that  was  the  last  of  her  in  those  waters.  I 
was  also  informed  that  it  would  be  unsafe  for  any  white 
man  to  show  himself  there  afterwards,  and  vessel  captains 
were  thus  advised.  There  was  talk  of  trying  the  captain 
for  murder,  when  he  should  get  home,  but  I  rather  think 
nothing  was  ever  done. 


145 


XIII 

MAN-OF-WAR  LIFE  ON  PACIFIC 
COAST 

FROM  Valparaiso  we  sailed  for  Callao,  and  this 
place  became  our  headquarters  more  than  any 
other  on  the  coast.  Callao  is  the  seaport  of 
Lima,  and  about  nine  miles  distant  from  that  city.  It 
has  one  of  the  best  harbors  on  that  side  of  South  America, 
being  sheltered  on  the  southwest  side  by  the  island  of 
San  Lorenzo,  a  lofty  sand  hill  to  all  appearance,  though 
I  believe  it  to  be  of  volcanic  origin  at  its  backbone.  It  is 
seven  miles  from  Callao,  and  its  length  is  more  than  the 
whole  extent  of  the  town,  including  the  large  fortifica- 
tions which  are  supposed  to  protect  it.  On  the  town  side 
a  long  spit  of  land,  composed  nearly  entirely  of  marine 
shells  in  a  fine  state  of  trituration,  juts  out  beyond  the 
fort,  and  completes  the  protection  of  the  city  from  the 
ocean  winds.  Between  this  point  and  San  Lorenzo  is  a 
rather  wide  passage,  but  the  usual  approach  of  ships  is 
from  the  opposite  or  western  side.  As  usual,  there  was 
war  between  Chili  and  Peru  at  the  time  we  were  there, 
and  on  one  occasion  I  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  a 
battle,  or  rather  a  sortie  from  the  fort,  which  at  the  time 
was  beleaguered  and  blockaded  by  Chilians.  I  recollect, 
in  particular,  seeing  from  my  place  of  vantage  in  the 
maintop  a  negro  soldier  doing  deeds  of  valor  that  would 
doubtless  have  won  his  promotion  had  he  not  been  killed. 
He  was  mounted,  and  would  ride  up  alone  close  to  the 
Chilian  troops,  fire  his  pistols  and  retreat  to  reload;  this 
he  did  over  and  over  again,  till  at  last  he  fell  off  his  horse, 
his  seemingly  charmed  life  not  being  sufficient  protec- 

146 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

tion  against  Chilian  lead.  This  was,  I  think,  in  1838 
or  1839. 

I  have  good  reason  to  remember  another  episode  in 
this  war,  as  it  was  the  first  time  I  ever  heard  the  whiz 
of  a  cannon  ball.  Our  minister  to  Peru  had  died  and 
was  to  be  buried  with  military  and  naval  honors.  All 
the  marines,  and  all  but  thirty  or  forty  of  the  sailors  of 
our  ship,  together  with  such  of  the  officers  as  were  on 
duty  for  the  day,  were  sent  ashore  to  take  part  in  the 
procession  and  funeral  ceremonies.  I  was  among  those 
retained  on  board,  the  greater  part  of  whom  were  older 
men,  mostly  petty  officers,  especially  those  belonging  to 
the  gunner's  crew.  Thirty-nine  minute  guns  were  fired 
from  our  ship  during  the  funeral,  one  for  each  year  of  the 
deceased,  he  having  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years.  I 
think  there  are  few  things  more  solemn  than  minute  guns. 
Especially  was  this  ceremony  impressive  to  me  in  the 
present  instance,  since  the  ship  seemed  so  vacant  of  its 
usual  life  and  bustle.  The  guns  were  fired  with  what  was 
called  "  loggerheads  " ;  that  is  to  say,  rods  of  iron  with  a 
thick  metal  head  heated  red  hot.  These  were  only  used 
in  firing  salutes,  and  intended  to  make  sure  work; 
ordinary  salutes  were  fired  as  rapidly  as  a  man  could 
walk  from  one  side  to  the  other  to  touch  off  the  guns. 
But  to  wait  exactly  one  minute  between  each  report  re- 
quired that  these  instruments  should  be  kept  red  hot, 
portable  charcoal  furnaces  being  used  for  the  purpose. 

It  was  a  beautiful  afternoon,  the  sun  was  low  in  the 
western  sky  when  the  last  boom  was  heard,  and  the  guns 
reloaded.  Supper  was  piped,  and  those  of  us  on  board 
had  just  set  down  by  our  mess  cloths  on  the  spar  deck 
when  the  boom  of  a  cannon  was  heard,  at  the  same  time 
a  peculiar  whizzing  sound  of  quick  vibration  passed  over 
our  heads.  All  started  up,  and  on  my  asking  an  old 
quarter  gunner  what  it  was,  he  replied,  in  a  most  non- 
chalent  tone :  "  It's  a  shot,  it  is."    The  fort  was  firing  at 

147 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

a  Chilian  frigate  which  lay  in  range  of  our  ship,  and  soon 
more  shots  came  whizzing  over  us,  and  we  could  see 
them  strike  the  water  short  of  the  aim  half  a  mile  beyond 
us.  I  suppose  we  were  in  no  real  danger,  as  the  shots 
were  fired  well  above  us,  still,  as  I  was  one  of  those 
ordered  to  loose  the  maintopsail,  I  did  not  feel  quite  re- 
assured while  on  the  yard  when  I  thought  I  felt  the  wind 
of  one  of  the  missiles.  Needless  to  say  we  did  not  un- 
necessarily delay  the  task  imposed,  but  got  down  on  deck 
as  quickly  as  we  could. 

I  have  alluded  to  the  loosing  of  the  sails;  this  was 
done  by  order  of  the  second  lieutenant,  who  was  in 
charge,  the  captain  and  first  lieutenant  being  on  shore. 
Mr.  B.  was  a  natural  coward,  without  the  pride  or 
strength  of  mind  which  makes  such  a  man  a  real  hero 
in  time  of  danger  by  exposing  himself  in  the  line  of 
duty  to  imminent  danger,  whether  real  or  imaginary. 
His  first  thought,  therefore,  was  to  get  the  ship  out  of 
harm's  way.  Being  crippled  in  numbers,  it  was  mani- 
festly impossible  to  weigh  the  anchor;  so  the  chain  was 
unshackled  and  slipped,  sails  loosed,  and  the  ship's  posi- 
tion changed.  Hardly  had  we  changed  our  anchorage 
when  (the  funeral  being  over)  the  captain  and  others 
who  had  taken  part  in  the  procession  came  on  board. 
The  former  was  furious.  "  Sir,"  he  said  to  Mr.  B.,  "  you 
have  disgraced  me  as  well  as  your  flag  by  such  cowardly 
conduct!"  Nor  did  the  sight  of  a  French  corvette,  that 
had  been  equally  exposed,  but  lay  quietly  near  our  former 
anchorage,  lessen  his  indignation. 

Callao  is  an  ideal  harbor  as  headquarters  for  men-of- 
war;  it  is  roomy,  free  from  storms,  and,  though  tropical, 
its  climate  is  neither  too  hot  nor  subject  to  sudden  and 
unpleasant  changes.  The  sea  breeze  cools  the  atmos- 
phere, and  I  believe  it  never  rains;  at  least,  though  we 
spent  the  largest  part  of  two  years  there,  and  in  the  course 
of  our  frequent  visitations  became  familiar  with  all  its 

148 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

seasons,  I  never  saw  a  drop  of  rain.  A  very  heavy  dew 
falls,  however,  every  morning,  sometimes  till  lo  o'clock, 
much  resembling  a  Scotch  mist,  which,  indeed,  the  sailors 
used  to  call  it.  One  curious  effect  of  this  moisture  may 
be  noticed.  The  drops  formed  by  it  leave  a  stain  much 
like  that  of  tobacco  juice,  which  is  quite  difficult  to  re- 
move from  white  paint,  as  we  found  when  cleaning  the 
paintwork  of  the  ship,  a  duty  which  always  followed  the 
washing  or  holystoning  the  deck  before  breakfast  each 
morning.  I  suppose  this  discoloration  to  be  in  some  way 
connected  with  the  volcanic  or  sesmic  character  of  the 
region,  especially  as  the  waters  of  the  harbor  were  often 
in  motion  from  gaseous  emanations  at  the  bottom,  when 
the  surface  was  suddenly  stirred  up  into  dark  masses  of 
muddy  whirls.  This  was  always  accompanied  by  a  fetid 
smell,  tainting  the  air  all  around,  sulphureted  hydrogen 
being  the  prevailing  odor.  Everyone  knows  that  Callao 
has  been  the  scene  of  fearful  commotion,  when  Mother 
Earth  has  had  her  colic  spasms.  Half  of  the  old  town  lies 
yet  under  many  fathoms  of  water,  since  the  earthquake  of 
1786,  when  a  great  wave,  fifty  feet  in  height,  overflowed 
it;  or  rather  since  the  lost  portion  sank  under  the  more 
stable  sea. 

The  place  is  also  a  great  resort  for  whales,  especially 
those  called  fin-backs,  a  large  cetacean,  whose  swiftness 
and  agility,  together  with  his  comparative  leanness,  gen- 
erally gives  him  immunity  from  the  hands  of  the  hunters 
of  the  sea.  One  curious  sight  I  remember  in  this  con- 
nection. One  fine  morning,  while  we  lay  at  anchor,  a 
shoal  of  these  whales  were  disporting  not  far  off  towards 
the  eastern  passage.  As  their  great  backs  rose  and  fell, 
as  they  lazily  swam  backwards  and  forwards,  it  occurred 
to  the  officers  to  train  a  gun  upon  them.  A  twenty-four 
pounder  was  shotted,  and  the  gunner's  mate,  an  old  man- 
of-war  man,  Amos  Elmore  by  name,  took  the  lockstring 
in  hand,  and,  as  one  of  the  great  beasts  showed  his  back 

149 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

in  front  of  the  muzzle  of  the  cannon,  he  fired.  The  shot 
must  have  struck  him  slanting  over  his  back,  for  we 
could  see  it  ricochetting  for  miles  beyond ;  but  the  effect 
on  the  animal  must  have  been  startling,  for  he  threw  his 
whole  form  in  a  sudden  spring  out  of  the  water.  Prob- 
ably he  was  not  much  hurt,  but  we  did  not  see  any  more 
whales  that  day. 

Our  first  stay  here  was  not  long,  as  we  soon  had 
orders  to  return  to  Valparaiso,  I  suppose  to  meet  or  wait 
for  the  arrival  of  the  "  North  Carolina,"  seventy-four, 
Commodore  Ballard.  We  had  not  long  to  wait  be- 
fore the  great  four-decker^  made  her  appearance,  and 
anchored  off  the  point  near  the  battery  at  the  entrance 
to  the  port.  Preparations  were  at  once  made  to  tow  her 
in.  To  this  end,  every  man-of-war  in  the  port,  of  the 
various  nations  represented,  sent  boats  to  assist ;  English, 
French,  Chilian,  and  American,  all  sent  one  or  more,  till 
there  were  fifty  boats  in  all,  tugging  away  at  the  great 
hulk  until  she  came  to  her  anchorage.  Then  all  were 
cast  loose,  and  a  rac^  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half  took 
place  such  as  it  has  seldom  been  my  portion  to  assist  in. 
How  we  did  pull !  Our  ship  had  sent  four  boats,  the 
launch,  first,  second,  and  third  cutters.  The  two  last 
were  the  finest  boats  I  ever  saw,  and  they  could  not 
have  been  better  manned.  We  pulled  a  long  sweeping 
stroke,  with  eighteen-feet  oars,  six  in  each,  and  as  we 
passed  boat  after  boat  it  was  with  swelling  hearts  we 
could  hear  the  remarks,  especially  from  the  English. 
"  Look  how  them  damned  Yankees  pull,"  I  heard  from 
the  hammock  nettings  of  the  English  corvette  "  Harrier," 
as  we  passed  her,  leaving  her  own  boats  away  astern. 

While  we  were  lying  at  Valparaiso  the  crew  was 
given  liberty,  i.  e.,  leave  to  go  on  shore.  Twenty-four 
hours  we  were  allowed.  We  went  by  watches,  or  rather 
quarter-watches,  which  meant  that  one-quarter  of  the 
crew  were  ashore  at  a  time.     Of  course,  we  had  a  good 

150 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

time.  Sailors  always  have  when  they  have  money  and  a 
chance  to  spend  it. 

Whileriour  division  was  on  shore,  a  number  of  us  hired 
horses  for  a  ride  into  the  country.  The  road  was  that 
which  leads  to  Santiago,  and  is  very  hilly,  winding  around 
some  of  the  steep  spurs  of  the  distant  Andes.  We  were 
a  jolly  set,  and  as  in  my  childhood  I  had  been  used  to 
bare-back  riding  on  my  father's  horses,  I  undertook  to 
show  ofiF  my  horsemanship  by  recklessly  riding  down  one 
of  these  winding  roads.  I  was  in  full  gallop,  and  had  not 
taken  into  account  the  necessity  for  counteracting  the 
centrifugal  power  by  leaning  and  bearing  my  weight  on 
the  inside  stirrups.  The  result  was  that  I  gradually  lost 
my  balance  and  fell  off,  my  right  leg  having  caught  in 
the  stirrup  strap,  and  there  I  hung,  my  head  and 
shoulders  just  touching  the  ground.  Luckily  the  horse 
stopped  instantly,  and  I  was  not  hurt. 

I  was  told  afterwards  that  horses  loaned  to  sailors 
are  trained  to  stop  when  they  fall  off.  Whether  this  be 
true  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  they  have  been  so  accus- 
tomed to  carry  sailors  that  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  get 
them  by  a  wine  shop,  of  which  there  are  many  on  the 
hillside  of  the  road.  I  had  one  more  mishap  in  my  eques- 
trian exhibition,  when  my  horse,  after  sliding  on  his  but- 
tocks down  a  steep  and  slippery  hill,  put  his  foot  into  a 
hole  and  sent  me  flying  over  his  head,  with  the  bridle  in 
my  hand,  which  had  been  swept  from  his  head  in  my  fall. 
Luckily  I  fell  into  a  soft  spot,  and  rose  unhurt,  but  sadly 
mortified  by  the  laughter  of  my  companions. 

Mr.  Lyon,  our  first  lieutenant,  was  a  man  much  be- 
loved by  all,  but  his  own  boat's  crew,  the  third  cutter, 
of  which  I  was  one,  often  found  it  hard  to  restrain  him 
from  getting  himself  and  us  into  trouble,  owing  to  his 
fondness  for  adventure  on  shore  and  his  dissipated  ways. 
We  had  to  keep  sober  to  look  after  him,  and  were  always 
near  at  hand  to  back  him  if  necessary.     He  once  insisted 

151 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

on  seeing  me  drunk,  because  I  was  always  so  sober,  and 
I  think  he  nearly  succeeded,  though  I  was  not  so  far  gone 
that  I  did  not  retain  my  senses  and  my  legs,  too. 

We  soon  again  steered  for  Callao.  There  were  four 
American  ships  in  the  squadron,  the  Commodore's  ship, 
the  "  North  Carolina,"  the  "  Lexington "  sloop-of-war, 
the  "  Falmouth,"  our  own  ship,  and  the  "  Enterprise  " 
schooner,  commanded  by  Captain  Glendy,  of  whom  more 
hereafter. 

As  I  am  writing  recollections,  it  is  but  fair  to  say  that 
in  regard  to  the  events  or  episodes  related,  I  have  not 
been  careful  as  to  time  or  order.  As  my  memory  does 
not  serve  me  as  to  exactness  of  succession  of  events,  I 
have  jotted  down  things  just  as  they  occurred  to  me.  But 
as  to  the  facts  themselves,  they  are  so  deeply  impressed 
on  my  mind,  that  I  am  sure  all  could  be  verified  by  docu- 
mentary evidence.  I  shall,  therefore,  continue  in  the  same 
desultory  way,  without  trying  to  rack  my  memory  as  to 
dates.  Suffice  it  that  we  were  something  over  two  years 
upon  the  station,  the  beginning  of  1838  till  the  spring  of 
1840. 

It  was  while  on  this  coast  that  I  began  to  have  my 
attention  called  in  a  serious  way  to  art.  It  had  always 
been  my  pleasure,  and  in  early  youth  the  occupation  of 
my  spare  hours;  but  nothing  practical  had  ever  come  of 
it  —  no  idea  of  making  it  my  life  work,  nor  did  it  at  this 
time  occur  to  me  that  such  a  thing  was  possible.  Yet  I  can 
now  trace  to  the  things  that  I  did  on  board  of  this  ship, 
insignificant  as  they  were,  the  first  dawnings  of  the  art 
idea  within  me.  Still,  what  I  did  was  in  itself  nothing. 
I  saw  that  some  of  my  comrades  were  scratching  sperm- 
whales'  teeth  making  rude  pictures  on  them.  I,  too,  tried 
my  hand,  and,  being  more  experienced  in  drawing  than 
others,  I  made  better  work;  nay,  in  a  short  time  I  pro- 
duced some  things  which  were  really  clever  imitations 
of  steel  engravings  on  the  polished  ivory.    I  would  have  a 

152 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

whale's  tooth,  or  other  piece  of  ivory,  polished  quite 
smooth,  and  on  it  draw  with  pencil  pictures  of  whatever 
was  befor^me  or  in  my  mind ;  then  with  a  sharp  penknife 
cut  slanting  and  light  lines,  fill  them  with  India  ink,  then 
burnish  down  the  edges  of  the  cuts,  and  thus  produce 
very  pretty  pictures.  Sometimes  I  would  even  use  water 
colors  of  various  tints,  but  these  never  with  the  success 
hoped  for. 

Two  of  these  works  I  remember  well.  On  a  small 
whale-tooth  I  engraved  the  town  and  castle  of  Callao, 
with  the  shipping  as  seen  from  our  ship,  upon  a  space  two 
inches  in  length  by  one  high,  and  so  neatly  was  it  done 
that  familiar  houses  could  be  distinguished,  though  at  a 
distance  of  more  than  a  mile.  This  specimen  I  made  for 
Mrs.  Bartlett,  the  wife  of  the  then  consul  of  Callao,  who, 
with  her  husband,  became  a  passenger  home  with  us. 
The  other  was  on  a  flat  piece  of  ivory  one  and  one-half 
inches  by  one  inch,  which  was  set  into  the  top  of  a  rose- 
wood epaulet  box  belonging  to  Lieutenant-Commander 
Buchanan,  the  same  who  afterwards  figured  as  the  Con- 
federate admiral  who  lost  his  leg  in  the  battle  of  Mobile 
against  Farragut,  and  who  commanded  the  "  Merrimac  " 
in  her  memorable  fight  with  the  "  Monitor  "  in  Hampton 
Roads,  and  where,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  was  so  wounded  as 
to  necessitate  amputation  of  his  leg.  He  was  also  a  pas- 
senger on  our  homeward  passage,  and  I  shall  always  re- 
member him  with  gratitude  for  his  kindness  to  me  in 
every  way;  not  the  least  for  the  free  use  I  had  of  his 
drawing  materials. 

The  other  mode  of  art  practice  was  less  commendable. 
It  consisted  of  tattooing,  an  art  that  I  brought  to  much 
perfection,  and  which  put  a  good  many  dollars  into  my 
purse  by  way  of  spending  money. 

Painting,  however,  did  not  occur  to  me  until  several 
years  afterward.  I  have  mentioned  Mrs.  Bartlett.  She 
was  an  invalid,  afiiicted  with  cancer,  as  we  understood, 

^53 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and  under  the  care  of  our  surgeon,  Dr.  Wheelan,  a  man 
of  skill  in  his  profession,  though  not  reputed  among 
sailors  for  tender-heartedness.  A  great  part  of  his  time 
was  spent  on  shore  in  attendance  upon  his  patient,  upon 
whom,  I  believe,  he  performed  a  successful  operation. 
When  she  was  convalescent,  he  thought  a  trip  at  sea 
would  do  her  good,  and  thus  we  made  several  short 
cruises  for  her  special  benefit.  Some  of  these  were  quite 
pleasant  and  much  enjoyed  by  all.  Once  w'e  made  sail 
for  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  the  former  home  of 
Robinson  Crusoe,  or,  rather,  Alexander  Selkirk.  I  do  not 
remember  much  about  this  island,  except  that  we  landed 
in  a  cove  or  indentation,  and  that  some  difficulty  was  ex- 
perienced in  the  landing  and  embarking,  owing  to  the 
swell.  This  made  it  necessary  to  carry  the  ladies  from 
and  to  the  boats  by  wading  waist  deep.  I  have  a  special 
reason  to  remember  this,  as  I  was  hereby  subjected  to  a 
rather  ludicrous  perplexity.  After  having  strolled  awhile 
on  shore,  admiring  the  beautiful  and  picturesque  scenery, 
and  looked  at  the  one  family  who  then  inhabited  the  place, 
it  was  time  to  go  on  board.  The  boats  were  pulled  out 
beyond  the  shallow  bar,  and  the  women  carried  on  board 
by  two  men  making  a  chair  with  their  crossed  hands ;  at 
least,  this  was  done  with  Mrs.  Bartlett,  who,  with  the 
natural  grace  of  a  lady,  made  no  objection  to  the  living 
chair.  I  did  not  belong  to  the  gig,  and  thus  was  one  of 
the  bearers.  We  had  safely  landed  the  lady  in  the  boat, 
and  went  back  after  her  mulatto  servant  girl,  who  began 
to  giggle  and  make  objections,  till  the  captain,  getting  out 
of  patience,  sang  out,  "Fist  her,  boys,  and  bring  her  on  I" 
So,  instead  of  iQnger  persuasion,  we  picked  her  up  by  the 
shoulders  and  thighs,  and,  spite  of  her  kicks,  brought 
her  dry  through  the  surf.  The  exertion,  however,  was  too 
much  for  my  c  broadcloth  trousers,  and  they  gave  way 
from  clew  to  earing,  as  we  used  to  say ;  that  is,  they  were 
split  clear  down  the  leg  up  to  the  waistband!     Fortu- 

154 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

nately,  all  the  damage  was  below  the  water  line,  but  I  had 
to  stand  there,  like  a  guilty  thing,  till  the  boat  pulled  far 
enough  of?  to  admit  my  going  back  to  take  my  place  in 
my  own  boat.  I  suppose  the  female  part  of  the  gig's 
passengers  thought  I  was  loath  to  leave  their  beautiful 
forms  out  of  sight  —  in  fact,  that  I  had  been  rooted  to  the 
bottom  by  their  charms. 

I  don't  remember  if  it  was  on  this  trip  or  another  that 
we  went  to  Islay.  I  rather  think  it  was  the  same,  and 
that  we  first  went  there.  All  that  I  saw  of  Islay  was  a 
perpendicular  rocky  shore,  ascended  by  a  series  of  wooden 
steps ;  nothing  was  seen  from  the  ship  of  what  was  above. 
But  that  life  was  there  soon  became  apparent  after  we 
had  anchored.  Our  first  cruise  in  boats  was  to  some 
guano  rocks  near  by,  perhaps  the  afterwards  much  dis- 
puted Chincha  Islands,  which  we,  as  well  as  our  precious 
freight,  ascended.  It  was  a  barren  rock  of  several  acres 
in  extent,  so  completely  covered  with  the  white  excre- 
ment of  sea-fowl  that  not  a  vestige  of  the  rock  itself  was 
visible.  There  was  no  fetid  smell,  though,  such  as  is 
emitted  by  the  quarried  guano.  The  day  was  beautiful, 
and  everyone  enjoyed  the  outing.  We  began  to  hunt 
for  birds'  nests,  nor  did  we  have  to  seek  long,  for  they 
were  in  great  number,  and  not  particularly  concealed. 
There  were  no  eggs,  but  plenty  of  young  birds,  and  as  we 
were  examining  them  hundreds  of  the  old  birds  came 
to  the  rescue.  In  a  short  time  the  air  seemed  full  of 
them,  and  so  little  fear  of  man  did  they  exhibit  that  they 
would  have  pecked  our  eyes  out  if  they  had  not  been 
driven  away  with  sticks. 

Another  excursion  was  made,  this  time  to  a  small 
cove  some  distance  away.  It  was  a  lovely  spot,  a  deep 
indentation  into  the  land,  rugged  rocky  points  projecting 
into  the  sea  on  either  side,  forming  a  deep  but  narrow 
bay,  with  white  sandy  bottom  and  shallow  pellucid 
water.    A  wide  beach  of  white  sand  at  the  back  mingled, 

^55 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

at  a  distance,  with  sand  dunes,  beyond  which  was 
the  country,  some  distance  from  the  city.  Our  excursion 
was  a  picnic.  Ladies  from  the  town,  accompanied  by 
naval  officers  belonging  to  the  ship,  came  on  horseback 
to  the  rendezvous.  A  more  desirable  place  for  the  occa- 
sion could  not  well  be  found  in  the  wide  world,  and  well 
was  it  taken  advantage  of  by  both  hosts  and  guests.  A 
large  sail  was  spread  on  the  sand,  and  a  sumptuous  repast 
spread,  all  squatting  around  in  the  most  natural  fashion. 
During  the  dessert  and  champagne,  one  of  the  sailors,  a 
gifted  but  erratic  Scotchman  by  the  name  of  King,  was 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  improvised  table  to  sing,  to 
the  great  delight  of  the  convivials,  for  King  had  a  fine 
voice  and  an  inexhaustible  store  of  ballads,  some  of  which 
even  were  the  fruits  of  his  own  genius,  for  he  was  a 
poet  as  well.  After  dinner  nearly  the  whole  company 
went  in  to  bathe.  The  ladies,  being  unprepared  for  this 
amusement,  borrowed  flannel  shirts  from  the  sailors,  it 
being  usual,  in  view  of  anything  that  might  happen,  to 
carry  an  extra  shirt  in  case  of  getting  a  ducking  on  such 
jolly  excursions.  I  remember  lending  mine,  a  very  short 
one,  too,  to  a  pretty  young  lady.  To  be  sure,  it  might 
have  been  embarrassing  for  one  of  our  northern  beauties 
to  bathe  with  gentlemen  thus  unprotected  in  the  nether 
extremities;  but,  after  all,  the  only  difficulty  was  to  get 
well  into  the  water  without  exposure ;  the  cooling  element 
afterwards  would  cover  a  multitude  of  sins.  As  usual 
in  southern  climes,  when  women  bathe,  convenient  rocks 
serve  the  purpose  of  bathing  houses. 

We  lay  some  five  or  six  weeks  in  Islay.  I  never 
learned  what  we  were  doing  there,  unless  it  was  to 
amuse  Mrs.  Bartlett  and  the  officers  of  the  ship.  Of 
course,  we,  the  crew,  had  easy  times  of  it.  Grog 
money  had  just  been  served  out,  and  most  of 
it  fell  into  the  gamblers'  hands,  as  there  was  absolutely 
no  other  way  to  dispose  of  it.     The  sweat-board  was 

156  ' 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

in  full  operation  so  long  as  a  cent  was  to  be  exchanged 
for  nothing. 

We  returned  to  Callao,  our  usual  headquarters, 
whence  we  made  a  trip  to  a  certain  part  of  the  coast.  It 
was  nothing  but  a  beach,  where  the  surf  from  the  ocean 
made  landing  troublesome.  It  was  a  curious  errand. 
The  ship  was  hove  to,  and  at  night  all  the  boats  were  sent 
ashore,  where  we  found  a  large  amount  of  silver  bullion, 
which  we  carried  on  board.  The  silver  was  in  cakes, 
each  valued  at  $3,000.  They  were  very  heavy  and  diffi- 
cult to  handle ;  but  all  was  successfully  brought  on  board 
during  the  night,  and  sail  was  made  immediately  for 
Callao.  There  was  in  all,  as  I  learned,  $80,000,  and  it 
settled  the  ship  down  some  eight  inches  by  the  stern. 
It  was  transferred  to  a  merchant  vessel  one  night,  and 
that  is  all  I  know  about  it.  I  suppose  it  was  a  case  of 
smuggling,  in  favor  of  some  American  interests,  as  I 
was  told  the  export  duty  on  silver  was  twenty  per  cent. 
Still,  it  seemed  to  me  a  queer  business  for  an  American 
man-of-war  to  be  engaged  in.  , 

I  have  already  said  that  our  first  lieutenant  was 
something  of  a  lover  of  fun ;  that  is  to  say,  he  was  always 
ready  for  a  spree.  Not  that  he  was  a  drunkard,  or  any- 
thing approaching  it,  but  I  think  he  must  have  been  a 
sort  of  Lord  Byron  in  his  way.  Once  he  got  locked  up 
in  the  calaboose  at  Callao,  and  had  to  remain  through 
the  night!  As  an  illustration  of  his  familiarity  with  the 
members  of  his  boat's  crew,  of  which  I,  at  the  time,  was 
one,  I  will  relate  the  following:  He,  with  some  of  the 
other  officers,  had  been  ashore  during  the  evening,  and 
we  of  the  third  cutter  had  waited  for  them  to  come  on 
board.  It  was  what  was  then  known  as  the  11  o'clock 
boat,  though  it  was  nearer  midnight  when  we  reached 
the  ship.  As  soon  as  the  boat  was  secured  to  the  boom, 
and  we  were  on  deck,  he  came  up  to  the  coxswain,  a 
splendid  specimen  of  manhood  by  the  name  of  Salters, 

157 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and  told  him  he  must  contrive  to  help  him  to  get  some- 
thing to  eat  and  drink;  the  purser  was  caterer  of  the 
wardroom  mess,  and  kept  everything  under  lock  and 
key;  but  he  was  asleep  in  his  stateroom,  and  was  not 
to  be  disturbed.  Mr.  Pettit  was  a  perfect  gentleman,  at- 
tentive to  his  duties,  but  very  nervous.  One  way  in 
which  this  was  manifested  was  in  a  habit  he  had  of 
always  shaking  his  right  leg  while  standing  talking  to 
any  one,  a  habit  which,  by  the  way,  I  acquired  myself  by 
imitating  him  for  sport,  and  which  it  took  me  years  to 
break  myself  of. 

"  Salters,"  said  the  first  lieutenant,  "  I  know  there  is 
a  piece  of  cold  roast  veal  and  a  bottle  of  brandy  in  the 
locker;  but  Mr.  Pettit  keeps  the  keys  under  his  pillow, 
together  with  a  loaded  pistol.  Do  you  think  you  could 
get  the  keys  without  awakening  him,  and  put  them  back 
in  the  same  way,  after  we  have  had  our  supper?  Of 
course^  the  boat's  crew  will  have  their  share  of  the 
brandy."  "  It's  a  ticklish  job,  but  I  will  try,"  was  the 
answer.  He  succeeded  so  well  that  the  purser  never  sus- 
pected the  theft,  and  his  astonishment  may  be  imagined 
when  the  state  of  the  larder  was  revealed  the  day  follow- 
ing. One  thing  I  am  sure  of,  he  never  found  out  how 
the  thing  happened,  though  from  the  way  in  which  the 
whole  matter  was  dropped  I  have  no  doubt  his  sus- 
picions rested  on  the  right  person. 

At  this  time  I  used  to  hang  my  hammock  over  the 
forehatch,  between  the  booms,  because  the  heat  below 
was  very  oppressive.  I  said  the  forehatch,  but  it  was 
really  over  the  bits*  in  front  of  the  hatch;  I  think  I 


*  The  bits  were  heavy  wooden  contrivances  to  secure  the 
anchor-chains  to,  mainly  consisting  of  two  enormous  knees 
reaching  forward  and  bolted  to  the  ship's  deck  beams,  a  heavy 
beam  of  wood  crossing  them  over  the  forehatch  to  keep  them 
steady  and  to  fasten  the  chains  to. 

158 


DOCTOR    W.    K.    SCOTT 
PAINTED    IN    1856 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

never  enjoyed  my  sleeping  hours  so  much  as  I  did  then 
in  the  fresh  air7with  my  spare  hammock  stretched  over 
on  the  lashing-rope,  forming  a  shelter-tent  which  kept 
out  the  dew  and  the  baleful  moon-rays.  In  front  of  the 
bits,  and  made  in  part  by  them,  was  a  sort  of  inclosure, 
in  the  middle  of  which  the  galley  or  kitchen  funnel  was 
placed.  The  knees  of  the  bits  and  the  combing  of  the 
forehatch  formed  very  convenient  seats  around  the 
favored  spot,  which  was  known  among  us  as  "  funnel 
alley.''  It  was  here  we  gathered  in  the  evening  to  listen 
to  song  and  story,  and  by  day  it  was  always  a  favorite 
place  for  such  of  the  crew  as  loved  to  spend  their  spare 
time  in  various  needle-work,  or  other  industries  common 
in  a  man-of-war. 

In  mentioning  my  sleeping-place,  I  am  reminded  of 
an  occasion  which  came  near  to  rousing  the  whole  ship's 
crew  for  fear  of  fire.  These  were  the  days  before  lucifer 
matches,  when  the  old  tinder-box  was  the  favorite,  if  not 
the  only,  mode  of  producing  fire  and  light.  I  was  a 
passionate  smoker,  and  there  was  nothing  in  reason  I 
would  not  give  for  a  smoke,  nor  was  there  any  risk  I 
was  not  willing  to  undergo  for  my  favorite  enjoyment. 
It  was  against  orders  to  smoke  after  9  o'clock  in  the 
evening;  at  least  for  the  men  before  the  mast,  though 
officers  used  to  come  and  smoke  their  cigars  under  the 
forecastle,  no  smoking  being  allowed  abaft  the  forehatch 
by  anybody.  In  my  hammock,  however,  sheltered  as  it 
was,  I  would  frequently  steal  a  whiff  quite  late,  after 
everybody  was  asleep;  but  there  was  always  a  difficulty 
in  lighting  the  pipe.  From  my  place  of  vantage  I  would 
watch  an  officer  throw  away  the  stump  of  his  cigar,  and 
if  it  still  was  alight  I  would  wait  until  he  was  gone,  get 
out  of  my  hammock,  capture  the  prize,  light  my  dudeen, 
and  enjoy  my  stolen  bliss. 

One  night  quite  late,  having  come  on  board  from 
boat  duty,  I  became  frantic  for  a  pipe,  and,  of  course, 

159 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

» like  any  old  slave  of  the  weed,  I  must  have  it  cost  what 
it  might.  The  only  light  on  board  was  in  the  lantern 
burning  in  the  "  sick-bay  "  near  the  main  hatch,  in  front 
of  the  dispensary.     So  I  took  my  little  roll  of  cotton 

•  cloth,  always  on  hand  for  such  purposes,  and,  creeping 
under  the  hammock  on  the  berth-deck,  I  succeeded  in 
lighting  my  fuse  and  bringing  it  back  to  my  hammock, 
and,  after  lighting  my  pipe,  I  put  it  out.  But,  as  mischief 
would  have  it,  the  smell  of  the  burning  cotton  permeated 
the  air  of  the  berth-deck,  and  soon  there  was  the  dickens 
to  pay.  "  Where  is  the  fire?"  "  Whence  comes  the  smell 
of  burning  cotton?"  were  questions  I  could  hear  from 
below.  The  master-at-arms  was  aroused,  and  there  was 
quite  a  hubbub,  looking  for  fire,  while  all  the  while  I  lay 
apparently  quietly  snoring  in  my  bed,  taking  care,  how- 
ever, that  my  pipe  did  not  go  out,  even  though  loud  in- 
quiries were  made  if  anybody  was  smoking  on  deck. 
After  awhile  all  became  quiet,  and  everybody  turned  in 
again,  after  which  I  began  gradually  to  pull  at  my  pipe, 
and  I  cannot  remember  in  my  life  enjoying  a  smoke 
more.  I  may  add  that  no  one  ever  knew  who  the 
culprit  was. 

In  this  connection  I  will  mention  another  dodge  prac- 
ticed at  sea  to  get  a  smoke.  The  watches  were  sub- 
divided into  two  sections  called  quarter  watches,  headed 
respectively  by  first  and  second  captains.  At  sea  one 
quarter  watch  was  stationed  aloft  in  the  top,  while  the 
duties  of  the  other  were  on  deck,  taking  regular  turns,  of 
course.  In  the  top  our  nestling  place  was  far  from  un- 
comfortable, and  we  used  to  contrive  shelters  from  the 
wind,  and  spend  the  night-watches  in  spinning  yarns,  or 
often,  on  moonlight  nights,  in  reading  the  romances  or 
novels  of  the  time.  I  remember  we  contrived  to  steal 
from  the  boatswain's  department  a  couple  of  studding 
sail  covers  (long  pieces  of  canvas  painted  black)  and 
hide  them  in  the  top,  by  folding  them  up  and  coiling  the 

i6o 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

mast  rope  and  studding  sail  sheets  and  halliards,  which 
were  kept  there,  over  them,  so  that  we  could  use  them 
for  shelters;  and,  though  these  covers  were  missed  and 
search  made  for  them,  they  were  never  found,  no  one 
dreaming  that  we  would  take  the  trouble  we  did  to  hide 
them.  The  *'  Falmouth  "  was  a  perfect  tub  as  a  sea- 
boat,  and  the  decks  were  washed  clear  to  the  cabin  in 
any  stiff  breeze,  which  made  it  very  uncomfortable  to 
stay  on  deck ;  and  as  for  caulking  (a  sailor  term  for  sleep- 
ing on  deck  in  the  watch)  that  was  nearly  out  of  the 
question.  For  this  reason,  we  preferred  the  top,  where, 
with  the  aforesaid  precautions,  we  could  lie  snug  and 
dry.  On  very  dark  nights  we  would  hanker  after  the 
pipe,  that  being  the  only  thing  that  could  add  to  the 
enjoyment  of  our  life  up  there;  and,  as  I  was  the  most 
inveterate  smoker,  I  generally  had  to  go  down  and  steal 
fire  from  the  lantern  at  the  scuttle-but  on  the  bowsprit 
end  under  the  forecastle.  True,  there  was  a  marine  on 
guard  there,  but  he  wasn't  always  wide  awake,  or  his 
attention  was  called  to  somebody  else  for  a  moment, 
while  the  glass  slide  of  the  big  lantern  was  lifted,  the 
fuse  applied,  and  pocketed,  to  be  carried  up  into  the  top 
at  all  risks.  Many  a  time  has  my  pea-jacket  pocket  been 
afire  when  I  got  back  into  the  top;  but  we  never  were 
caught  at  the  business. 

I  remember,  even,  on  one  occasion  that  one  of  the 
watch  went  down  into  the  galley  and  stole  a  saucepan 
full  of  stew  that  was  to  be  warmed  up  at  breakfast  time 
for  the  midshipmen's  mess;  and  that,  after  discussing  its 
contents,  we  threw  the  pan  overboard.  But  enough  of 
these  pranks;  they  are  simply  specimens  of  what  hap- 
pened almost  every  day,  and  I  dare  say  will  be  quite  as 
familiar  to  the  man-of-war  man  of  the  present  day. 

Many  are  the  ways  in  which  the  man-of-war  man 
passes  his  leisure  while  on  a  three  years'  cruise.  Most 
of  the  time  is  spent  in  port,  when  his  duties  are  of  the 

i6i 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

lightest,  except  perhaps  when  at  exercise  with  guns,  sails, 
or  small  arms.  Unless  thus  employed  a  visitor  will  see 
groups  of  sailors  in  almost  every  variety  of  handiwork. 
The  large  boats  that  occupy  the  middle  of  the  spar  deck 
are  hoisted  out,  and  their  space  filled  by  the  carpenters 
"  under  the  booms,"  i.  e.,  the  spare  masts  or  yards  which 
are  placed  on  high  supports  or  upright  frame  work, 
and  covered  with  painted  canvas.  There,  too, 
perhaps,  the  smith  has  his  forge.  Here  and  there  are 
men  making  or  mending  their  clothes,  or  perhaps 
braiding  and  sewing  their  hats;  others  may  be  seen 
embroidering  and  adorning  their  white  linen  clothes. 
Some  are  seated  between  the  guns  at  checkers 
or  other  games  (cards  being  tabooed).  Sometimes,  too, 
you  will  see  tattooing  going  on,  or  decorating  whales' 
teeth  with  "  skrimshon  "  (perhaps  you  will  not  find  this 
word  in  the  dictionary).  Even  painting  in  water  colors, 
and  other  modes  of  art  expression,  may  be  observed. 
Gambling  was  strictly  forbidden,  but  went  on  all  the 
same,  the  sweat-board  being  the  ordinary  mode,  but  this 
only  at  night,  and  was  carefully  watched  by  some  out- 
sider who  had  an  interest  in  the  game,  and  who,  when- 
ever the  master-at-arms  approached,  would  cry  out, 
"  Wake  O,"  when  the  light  went  out  and  all  disappeared. 
In  the  evening  the  Funnel  Alley  was  well  filled  to 
listen  to  the  songs  of  King,  or  others  gifted  in  music. 

"  Come  all  ye  sailors,  great  and  small. 

Accept  our  invitation 
To  spend  this  night  in  mirth  and  glee, 

In  this  our  habitation. 
For  Funnel  Alley  we  have  hired, 

Our  landlord  is  John  Benson;* 
He  keeps  an  eating  house  below. 

And  gives  us  strict  attention." 

*  The  name  of  our  ship's  cook. 

162 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  long  song  to  the  tune  of 
"  Betsy  Baker,"  in  which  the  author,  King,  con- 
trived to^ye  the  substance  of  the  songs  usually  heard 
w^ithin  its  precincts  as  sung  by  himself  and  the  other 
naval  bards. 

Between  two  guns  are  crowded  a  lot  of  old  and  young, 
who  listen  with  intense  interest  to  a  clever  story-teller; 
when  "  Jack  the  Giant  Killer,"  and  other  tales  from  the 
Odyssey,  or  the  "  Arabian  Nights,"  are  made  almost 
living  truth  by  his  genius.  Nay,  even  "  Button,  button, 
who  has  got  the  button,"  and  other  games  of  forfeit,  were 
common,  the  forfeits  coming  in  the  shape  of  blows  from 
a  twisted  handkerchief  on  the  palm  of  the  hand. 

Sometimes  all  hands  were  called  to  bathe,  when  sails 
were  hung  outside  the  ship  in  the  water  for  those  who 
could  not  swim;  and  this  reminds  me  of  a  sad  ending 
to  one  of  our  crew  when  the  ship  was  lying  off  the 
Tobogo  Islands,  near  Panama.  We  had  been  in  bathing 
and  swimming.  I  remember  jumping  from  the  fore-yard- 
arm  and  just  clearing  the  larboard  bower  anchor  with 
my  head  in  my  fall.  When  all  was  over,  the  clothes  of 
one  of  the  swimmers,  the  most  skilled  of  all,  lay  un- 
claimed on  the  forecastle.  Roll  was  called,  but  he  did 
not  respond,  and,  as  he  was  known  to  be  a  deep 
diver,  it  was  supposed  that  he  had  become  the  prey 
of  a  ground  shark,  with  which  those  waters  were  known 
to  abound. 

Once  all  hands  were  piped  to  mischief,  when  "  Follow 
the  leader "  became  the  cry.  In  all  this,  of  course,  I 
write  of  things  as  they  were  in  the  old  navy,  before 
steam,  electricity,  and  ironclads  had  turned  the  ships  into 
scientific  fighting  machines  and  the  real  sailor  into  a 
machinist  and  gunner;  of  the  present  order  of  things  on 
board  of  a  man-of-war  I  am  constrained  to  plead  entire 
ignorance. 

Once  when  about  700  miles  from  land,  on  our  way 

163 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

from  Valparaiso  to  Callao,  we  had  the  experience  of  an 
earthquake  at  sea.  I  was  in  the  watch  below,  and  in  my 
hammock,  when  a  sudden  tremor  shook  the  whole  ship. 
It  was  on  a  fine  night,  about  2  A.  M.  I  awoke  with  the 
idea  that  one  of  the  guns  was  dragging  on  its  trucks  from 
forward  aft,  though  without  noise. 

Another  time,  when  sailing  along  the  coast  of  Chili 
on  one  of  our  frequent  cruises,  an  occurrence  out  of  the 
usual  gave  me  the  only  opportunity  of  my  life  to  appre- 
ciate the  sensation  of  expectancy  just  before  the  opening 
of  a  naval  battle.  It  was  about  8  o'clock  in  the  evening 
of  a  perfect  night  that  blue  lights  were  discovered  in  the 
distance,  which  were  found  to  proceed  from  a  ship  of 
some  size.  Reports  had  been  rife  of  a  large  and  well- 
armed  pirate  somewhere  in  the  Pacific,  and  our  precau- 
tions were  accordingly  taken.  Orders  were  given  to 
prepare  for  battle;  tompkins  were  removed,  guns  were 
double-shotted  and  primed,  gratings  put  over  the  hatches, 
leaving  only  a  small  opening  for  ammunition  to  be  passed 
up.  All  hands  were  called  to  quarters,  and  the  captain 
himself,  trumpet  in  hand,  was  in  charge.  The  ship  had 
been  hove  to,  and  was  awaiting  the  approach  of  the 
stranger.  "  Silence !"  was  the  first  order,  after  which 
you  might  have  heard  a  pin  drop.  I  belonged  to  the  gun 
directly  in  front  of  the  mainmast,  and  the  place  was 
usually  called  the  slaughter  house,  as  shots  from  an 
enemy  are  usually  directed  to  that  point. 

I  am  not  naturally  a  brave  man,  though  my  pride  is 
greater  than  my  cowardice,  and  I  know  that  under  real 
danger  no  one  would  suspect  that  fear  may  be  at  my 
heart.  More  than  half  an  hour  we  stood  there,  uncertain 
of  the  issue,  the  captain  of  the  gun,  lock-string  in  hand, 
ready  to  pull  at  the  command  of  "  Fire !"  At  last  the 
ships  were  within  hailing  distance,  when  our  captain's 
voice,  through  his  trumpet,  rang  out :  "  Ship  ahoy ! 
What  ship  is  that?" 

164 


MAN-OF-WAR    LIFE    ON    PACIFIC    COAST 

"How  do  you  do.  Captain  McKeever?"  came  the 
answer,  and  I  must  own  to  a  feeling  of  relief  to  know  that 
it  was  only  the  "  Lexington,"  our  consort,  who  was 
looking  for  us  with  orders. 


165 


XIV 

CONTINUED    MAN-OF-WAR    EXPERIENCE 

AMONG  some  that  were  transferred  from  the 
"  North  Carolina "  to  our  ship  was  an  Italian 
L  from  Trieste,  Pompeo  Vandrone  by  name.  Be- 
ing a  young  man  of  good  address  and  great  adroitness,  he 
was  detailed  to  wait  upon  the  captain.  Indeed,  as  I 
found  out  afterwards,  he  had  already  filled  the  post  of 
captain's  servant  on  the  "  Enterprise,"  and,  as  we  shall 
presently  see,  had  been  the  means  of  saving  the  life  of 
her  captain.  I  do  not  now  remember  just  how  we  came 
to  be  such  intimate  friends,  but  certain  it  is  that  Damon 
and  Pythias  could  never  have  been  more  ready  to  suffer 
for  each  other  than  we  three,  the  third  being  an  English- 
man, a  young  sailor,  second  captain  of  the  starboard 
watch  of  the  foretop.  Tom  Allen  was  his  name.  All 
three  were  sworn  friends,  and  no  two  individuals  have 
had  a  greater  influence  upon  my  life. 

In  this  connection,  it  is,  perhaps,  proper  to  explain 
that  it  was  mainly  through  this  attachment  that  I  after- 
wards came  to  make  Buffalo  my  home.  It  was  a  favorite 
theme  among  the  sailors  to  speak  laudingly  of  "  the 
lakes."  These  inland  seas  were  upheld  by  tradition  or 
experience,  among  the  sailors,  as  a  sort  of  haven  where 
those  who  were  worthy  might  find  what  every  well-con- 
stituted man  yearns  for  —  wife,  children,  home.  Wages 
were  said  to  be  good,  good  seamen  wanted,  and  the  road 
to  preferment  open.  Our  little  junto  caught  the  spirit 
of  this  movement,  and  long  before  the  cruise  was  ended 
we  had  determined  to  try  our  fortunes  on  the  fresh-water 

i66 


CONTINUED    MAN-OF-WAR    EXPERIENCE 

ocean.  I  well  remember  during  the  many  night  watches 
when  on  duty  I  was  watching  the  starry  skies  of  the  not 
unjustly  named  Pacific,  I  allowed  my  imagination  to  erect 
her  castles  at  will,  and  almost  always,  through  whatever 
vagary  of  incident  or  fortune  she  would  run  riot,  the 
quiet  banks  of  Lake  Erie,  with  a  neat  cottage  and  still 
neater  wife,  with  a  suit  of  broadcloth,  watch  and  chain 
thrown  in,  would  be  the  finale  of  my  dream !  It  is  not 
often  that  airy  castles  resolve  themselves  into  such 
realities  as  mine;  but  then  my  longings  were  never  im- 
moderate. 

Having  introduced  Pompey  it  is  time  to  give  what  I 
then  knew  of  his  history.  Early  in  life  he  was  bound 
apprentice  to  a  circus  rider  in  his  native  country.  Rather 
a  low  kind  of  show  it  must  have  been  that  was  conducted 
by  his  master,  for  a  part  of  it  was  a  set  of  trained  dogs. 
Once  it  became  a  pressing  interest  for  the  maestro  to 
move  into  France ;  but  on  account  of  pecuniary  difficulties 
or  some  reason  less  reputable  he  found  it  necessary  to 
make  too  great  a  haste  to  enable  him  to  take  his  whole 
establishment  along  with  him.  The  dogs  and  Pompey 
were  left  behind  to  find  their  way  as  best  they  could 
across  the  mountain  passes.  I  never  learned  all  the  par- 
ticulars, but  the  upshot  of  all  was  that  my  friend  found 
himself  at  Toulon,  minus  the  learned  canines  and  without 
a  sou.  Happily  he  found  a  place  on  board  of  an  American 
ship,  and  in  course  of  time  landed  at  Philadelphia,  where 
I  first  made  his  acc^uaintance.  We  were  both  strangers 
in  the  land.  He  was  bright,, handsome,  and  lovable,  and, 
boys  as  we  were,  it  did  not  take  long  to  be  intimate 
friends.  We  separated,  and  the  chances  of  meeting  again 
were  of  the  remotest ;  our  mutual  surprise  can,  therefore, 
be  imagined  when,  after  five  years,  we  found  ourselves 
shipmates  for  years.  He  had  shipped  in  the  navy  before 
me,  and  had  been  detailed  for  the  "  Enterprise,"  under 
Captain   Glendy,  on  the   Pacific   station.     This   Glendy 

167 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

seems  to  have  been  of  a  cruel  disposition,  and,  by  inflict- 
ing unusual  and  barbarous  punishment  on  one  of  his 
crew,  who  had  deserted  and  was  recaptured,  he  had  to 
such  extent  exasperated  the  man  that  he  resolved  to  take 
the  life  of  his  oppressor.  Arming  himself  with  a  cleaver, 
he  stole  down  into  the  captain's  cabin,  and,  lifting  the 
weapon,  struck  at  his  intended  victim  while  asleep  in  his 
berth.  He  missed  his  prey  because  of  the  darkness,  and 
was  about  to  repeat  the  blow  when  his  arms  were  arrested 
by  Pompey,  who  had  entered  the  cabin  just  in  time  to 
prevent  the  murder.  Of  course,  the  man  was  court-mar- 
tialed. The  court  was  held  in  Callao  on  board  of  the 
"  Constitution,"  and  our  captain  was  one  of  the  court. 
He  was  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  receive  200  lashes ; 
but  so  great  had  been  the  provocation  that  it  was  inti- 
mated to  Captain  Glendy  that  he  could  only  keep  his 
standing  as  a  comrade  of  his  brother  officers  by  asking 
for  the  pardon  which  the  commodore  judge  was  ready  to 
grant.  He  was  pardoned,  and,  being  well  known  among 
the  officers,  with  many  of  whom  he  had  sailed,  as  a  first- 
class  man,  he  was  given  the  option  to  be  discharged  or 
to  join  another  ship.  I  was  informed  that  he  chose  the 
latter,  but  I  cannot  say  in  which  ship  he  elected  to  serve. 
Books  were  scarce  on  board  our  ship,  even  among 
the  officers,  and  though  once  in  a  while  I  was  enabled 
to  borrow  a  pleasant  volume  from  one  of  them,  the  great 
stand-by  in  the  way  of  reading,  for  myself,  at  least,  was 
the  New  Testament,  a  small  pocket  edition  worth  ten 
cents,  for  which  I  paid  a  shipmate  half  a  dollar.  It  had 
l)ecome  my  constant  companion,  and  was  always  nestled, 
where  a  man-of-war  man  carries  all  his  treasures,  in  the 
bosom  of  his  shirt,  together  with  my  pipe  and  tobacco 
pouch.  Tracts  were  also  to  be  had,  and  there  must  be 
few  of  these  published  up  to  the  time  that  I  had  not  read. 
We  had  neither  chaplain  nor  religious  services  on  board, 
"but  as  I  was  by  nature  serious,  and  religious  by  maternal 

168 


CONTINUED    MAN-OF-WAR    EXPERIENCE 

influence,  I  became  very  deeply  concerned  for  my  future 
welfare.  I  fear,  however,  that  the  influence  of  the  tracts 
was  moreTb  awaken  a  terror  of  future  punishment  than 
to  lead  my  mind  to  the  contemplation  of  the  love  of 
Christ.  I  was  kept  in  a  sort  of  morbid  or  anxious  state 
of  mind,  though  the  natural  buoyancy  of  my  nature,  love 
of  pleasure  and  companionship,  I  suppose,  might  be  con- 
sidered the  stony  ground  on  which  the  seed  fell,  and  pre- 
vented the  deeper  rooting  which  would  have  ripened  into 
full  fruition. 

While  in  this  state  of  mind  I  often  felt  the  need  of 
privacy,  a  difficult  thing  in  a  small  ship  with  200  com- 
rades. On  one  occasion  I  resorted  to  the  outside  of  the 
ship  in  the  main  chains  for  my  devotional  exercise.  The 
night  was  dark,  and  I  supposed  myself  unobserved;  but 
the  next  day  one  of  the  old  sailors  asked  me  what  I  was 
doing  in  the  chains  the  night  before.  I  was  ashamed  of 
having  been  caught  praying,  and  began  to  invent  some 
excuse  when  he  stopped  me,  saying :  "  You  need  not  be 
ashamed.    I  only  wish  I  were  like  you." 

In  this  connection  I  may  mention  a  book  which  at 
the  time  produced  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.  This 
was  "  The  Course  of  Time,"  by  Pollock.  This  little 
volume  was  the  property  of  the  before-named  King,  who 
lent  it  to  me  to  read.  In  grand  Miltonian  style,  this  poem 
paints  hell  in  the  most  lurid  colors,  while  the  blissful 
state  of  heaven  is  charmingly  made  to  conform  to  what 
the  intelligent  mind  would  accept  as  the  very  highest 
happiness  conceivable.  While  we  were  at  anchor  in 
Callao  I  had  the  misfortune  to  drop  the  book  overboard, 
but  so  greatly  did  I  esteem  it  that  I  immediately  per- 
mitted myself  to  fall  over  after  it,  accidental  falling  over- 
hoard  not  being  against  the  rules  of  the  service,  which 
was  the  case  with  deliberate  jumping  into  the  sea  without 
permission.  I  was  at  once  picked  up,  the  book  not  much 
the  worse  for  the  wetting. 

169 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Although  a  three  years'  cruise  in  a  man-of-war  be- 
comes tedious,  especially  to  a  youth  who  loves  change,  it 
is  not  necessarily  monotonous,  for  among  so  many  men 
much  variety  must  necessarily  be  found;  indeed,  almost 
every  shade  of  human  nature  is  apt  to  be  represented. 
It  often  happens,  too,  that  men  of  high  education,  and 
even  genius,  are,  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  enlisting,  or,  as  the  sea  phrase  goes, 
shipping  in  the  navy,  when,  for  the  time  being,  they  find 
themselves  in  intimate  relation  with  the  ignorant  and 
lawless  waifs  of  society.  Among  my  shipmates  these  dif- 
ferentials were  very  pronounced.  My  own  most  intimate 
friend  had  once  been  a  pirate,  had  been  a  prisoner  in 
Havana  fort  on  that  account,  and  had  made  his  escape. 
He  was  an  excellent  sailor,  and,  on  board  our  ship  at 
least,  bore  a  good  character.  Indeed,  I  cannot  recall  an 
act  of  his  that  was  not  right,  or  in  accord  with  any 
ordinary  standard  of  morality.  It  is  quite  common  in 
men-of-war  that  an  older  sailor  constitutes  himself  pro- 
tector to  one  much  younger.  He  wants  him  for  a 
chum,  or,  as  the  phrase  went  with  us,  "  chicken."  I  was 
chosen  the  second  day  of  my  entrance  by  Griffiths,  this 
old  and  weather-beaten  sea  dog  and  ex-pirate;  at  once 
he  made  me  understand  that  we  had  all  things  in  common. 
I  was  at  liberty  to  use  anything  he  had.  He  began  by 
helping  me  with  my  clothing,  assisted  me  in  washing  my 
clothes,  etc.,  and  really  took  a  fatherly  care  of  me.  I 
cannot  remember  that  I  was  of  the  slightest  use  to  him 
in  return,  but,  of  course,  we  became  very  good  friends. 

When  it  became  known  that  I  had  a  little  artistic 
talent,  many  favors  were  shown  me  by  the  officers. 
When  call  was  made  for  men  to  assist  in  some  duty,  and 
I  would  be  sitting  at  what,  for  a  better  name,  I  must  call 
my  art  work,  I  would  often  be  told  to  sit  still  —  there 
were  "  plenty  without  me."  There  was  one  kind  of  duty 
I  loved,  because  it  gave  me  much  time  to  myself.     This 

170 


CONTINUED    MAN-OF-WAR    EXPERIENCE 

was  to  be  sweeper,  as  it  freed  one  from  all  other  duty 
in  port.  The  work  was  very  light;  to  wash  the  paint 
work  while  the  holy  stoning  was  in  process,  and  to  keep 
one  side  of  the  deck,  from  the  mainmast  to  the  forecastle, 
swept  and  in  nice  order  while  in  port.  I  think  I  must 
have  had  this  office  by  special  favor  several  months. 
Dickens*  first  novel,  "  Oliver  Twist,"  was  just  out,  and  in 
some  way  a  copy  of  it  had  found  its  way  into  my  posses- 
sion. An  English  boy  by  the  name  of  Christy  was 
sweeper  on  the  larboard  side,  and  we  were  much  together. 
He  could  not  read,  and  I  read  "  Oliver  Twist "  aloud  to 
him.  I  shall  never  have  so  interested  a  hearer.  He 
seemed  to  think  the  whole  so  natural  for,  poor  fellow,  he 
had  been  born  and  brought  up  in  the  worst  purlieus  of 
Liverpool,  and  still  I  never  knew  him  to  do  a  mean  or 
unvvTorthy  act.  In  short,  he  was  a  very  nice  boy,  and  we 
were  near  of  an  age. 

The  monotony  of  the  ordinary  everyday  life  on  our 
ship  was  once  rather  sharply  broken  by  an  affair  of  honor 
between  two  of  our  officers.  Mr.  Stanley  was  a  past- 
midshipman  of  Southern  birth  and  gentle  manners,  but, 
though  of  delicate  physical  build  and  organization,  had 
all  the  chivalric  courage  of  his  race,  while  his  opponent, 
Mr.  Schenck,  my  former  friend  of  the  Brazilian  coppers, 
was  almost  his  opposite  in  strength  and  proportions. 
What  the  quarrel  was  about  I  never  certainly  knew; 
some  said  that  it  was  a  dispute  in  the  steerage  about  the 
proper  treatment  of  the  crew.  They  even  said  that  the 
latter,  though  born  in  a  free  State,  took  the  more  severe 
ground,  but  perhaps  this  was  only  because  Stanley  was 
the  most  popular  from  his  pleasant  manners.  It  was  said 
the  challenge  came  from  him,  as  a  set-to  with  natural 
weapons  would  have  made  the  match  altogether  too 
unequal. 

Early  one  morning  they  went  on  shore,  taking  the 
assistant   surgeon,   Dr.   Tate,   with   them.     The   battle- 

171 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

ground  was  on  the  beach  back  of  the  fort,  with  pistols 
for  two.  Stanley  came  off  unhurt,  but  his  ball  lodged  in 
his  opponent's  knee.  I  believe  it  was  never  extracted^ 
but  was  permitted  to  be  encysted,  and  there  was  always 
a  slight  lameness  perceived  in  his  walk  afterwards.  I 
understood,  at  the  time,  that  both  were  in  arrest  for  a 
month,  by  way  of  punishment. 

There  was  with  us  also  a  young  midshipman,  Parker ; 
I  cannot  recall  his  first  name,  but  I  think  it  was  not 
"  Foxhall,"  a  well-known  officer  of  later  date.  He  was  a 
very  pleasant  youth,  and  quite  unsophisticated,  as  well 
as  religious,  in  the  early  part  of  our  cruise,  and  many 
were  the  jokes,  and  even  indignities  played  upon  him  by 
the  other  midshipmen.  For  a  while  he  was  transferred 
to  the  "  North  Carolina,"  but  subsequently  returned  to 
us.  In  the  meantime  he  had  grown  large  and  strong, 
and  in  some  way  he  had  lost  something  of  his  Christian 
humility.  This  manifested  itself  rather  strongly  once, 
while  in  charge  of  the  launch,  going  for  a  supply  of 
water,  which  was  conveyed  from  the  Rimac  by  pipes  to 
the  mole.  A  Peruvian  officer  attempted  to  take  the  turn 
belonging  to  his  boat,  when  some  words  were  passed 
between  them,  the  result  being  that  Parker  flung  his 
opponent  over  the  boat  into  the  water.  I  hardly  need 
say  that  none  of  his  shipmates  attempted  any  practical 
jokes  on  him  afterwards. 


172 


XV 

THE  '' constitution;'  end  of  cruise 

I  THINK  it  must  have  been  in  1839  that  the  old 
"  Constitution  "  came  out  to  relieve  the  "  North 
Carolina."  As  soon  as  she  anchored  in  Callao,  an 
official  visit  was  made  by  some  of  our  officers  in  the 
boat  to  which  I  belonged.  I  was  boat-keeper,  and  sat  in 
the  boat  alone,  fast  to  the  boom,  which,  in  a  man-of-war, 
is  always  swung  out  for  that  purpose  on  either  side  of 
the  ship.  Some  messenger  boys  were  cleaning  the  brass 
work  about  the  side  ladder,  when  a  forty-two  pound  shot 
slipped  out  of  the  scoop  with  which  the  quarter  gunner 
was  withdrawing  it  from  the  gun,  a  duty  always  per- 
formed on  entrance  to  port.  This  knocked  one  of  the 
boys  overboard.  Seeing  that  he  could  not  swim,  I  im- 
mediately cast  off  so  as  to  go  to  his  rescue,  but  before  I 
could  reach  him  a  little  boy  had  jumped  overboard  to  do 
it.  I  at  once  saw  that  the  little  scamp  was  a  first-class 
swimmer,  and  only  watched  his  proceeding,  ready,  of 
course,  to  help  if  need  be.  The  young  rescuer  swam 
round  so  as  to  get  behind,  then  caught  him  under  the 
arms  from  behind,  treading  water  with  him  to  the  foot 
of  the  ladder,  where  he  was  taken  up  by  the  gunner.  It 
was  a  lesson  I  never  forgot,  as  most  of  the  distressing 
results  of  trying  to  save  the  drowning  come  from  allow- 
ing them  to  catch  hold  of  -their  helper,  and  thus  often 
both  are  drowned.  I  was  told  that  the  boy  was  at  once 
promoted  from  second  to  first-class  'prentice  boy. 

After  this  I  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  a  night  on 
the  old   "  Ironsides,"   when   a   play   was   performed   by 

173 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

some  of  her  crew.  It  is  the  only  time  that  I  saw 
the  play  of  "Douglas."  I  have  previously  alluded  to 
being  presented  with  a  nickname  on  my  first  coming 
on  board.  On  one  occasion  this  became  of  real  service 
to  me.  This  was  when  I  was  once  cook  of  the  mess. 
Great  care  was  always  expected  to  prevent  the  soiling 
of  the  berth-deck  by  any  greasy  substance  during  meals, 
or  in  cleaning  up,  the  deck  being  kept  immaculate  at  all 
times  while  in  port  by  matutinal  dry  holy-stoning  and 
careful  sweeping.  A  new  master-at-arms  had  lately  come 
to  us  from  the  "  North  Carolina,"  and,  while  making  his 
inspection,  had  discovered  a  grease  spot  in  front  of  my 
mess  chest.  He  asked  some  one  near  who  was  cook  of 
the  mess,  and  was  told  that  it  was  Jacky  Dobra.  Being 
new  to  the  ship,  he  did  not  know  our  names,  but  imme- 
diately reported  John  Dobra  to  the  first  lieutenant.  The 
boatswain's  mate  was  directed  to  call  John  Dobra,  which 
he  did  so  as  to  be  heard  all  over  the  ship,  repeating  it 
over  and  over.  All  this  time  I  was  standing  near  by, 
but  hidden  by  some  tarpaulins  which  covered  a  place 
where  the  carpenter  worked.  Some  one  said,  "  Don't  you 
hear  you  are  called  ?"  "  I  hear,  but  that  is  not  my  name," 
I  softly  replied.  No  answer  being  given,  order  was 
given  to  bring  up  the  watch  roll,  but,  no  such  name  being 
found,  the  first  lieutenant  turned  to  my  would-be 
accuser,  saying :  "  There  is  no  man  by  that  name  in  the 
ship;  you  must  have  got  hold  of  some  nickname;  go, 
and  the  next  time  you  report  be  sure  that  youVe  got 
the  name  right."  So  I  got  off  scot  free,  but  several 
months  after,  when  Mr.  Lyon  and  other  officers  were 
forward  smoking  their  cigars,  I  being  seated  near,  some 
one  called  "  Jacky  Dobra !"  and  I  answered,  "  Halloo !" 
"O  ho!  so  this  is  Jacky  Dobra,  is  it?"  was  his  good- 
humored  remark.  On  one  of  our  visits  to  Valparaiso  we 
encountered  the  so-called  Wilkes  expedition,  sent  out  by 
the  government  for  the  purpose  of  scientific  investigation 

174 


THE    "CONSTITUTION,"    END    OF    CRUISE 

of  the  southern  seas.  It  must  have  been  very  late  in 
1838,  or  early  in  '39,  that  it  made  its  appearance  in  Val- 
paraiso. The  "  Vincennes "  and  the  "  Peacock,"  both 
old-fashioned  ships  of  the  type  then  called  by  sailors 
jackass  frigates,  i.  e.,  ships  mounting  thirty-two  guns  in 
two  tiers,  the  upper  or  spar  deck  being  armed  with 
carronades.  On  this  occasion  our  ships  received  a  fresh 
supply  of  whiskey  in  barrels,  which  were  emptied  into 
casks  permanently  stowed  in  the  spirit  room  by  means 
of  a  hose  connected  with  a  tub,  into  which  the  precious 
liquid  was  poured,  the  barrels  being  rolled  on  to  skids 
crossing  the  steerage  hatch.  As  it  was  well  known  that 
the  men  having  charge  of  this  work  were  very  far  from 
being  shining  examples  of  the  blue  ribbon  brigades,  great 
care  was  taken  that  not  only  should  there  be  not  a  drop 
left  in  the  original  package,  but  even  this,  before  being 
relegated  to  the  common  receptacle  of  useless  dunnage, 
must  have  a  redeeming  dose  of  salt  water.  Thus  each 
barrel,  as  it  was  emptied,  received  about  half  a  bucketful 
of  the  briny  before  being  rolled  forward  out  of  the  way. 
But,  alas !  for  the  cause  of  temperance,  the  wit  of  a  man- 
of-war  man  is  without  limits,  when  there  is  prospect  of 
intoxicants  in  the  near  future.  Thus  it  happened  that 
many  of  the  supposed  buckets  of  salt  water  had  never 
had  any  dealing  with  old  Neptune  since  Sol  drew  their 
contents  up  into  the  great  alembic  of  the  skies,  to  be 
distilled  and  purified  from  saline  contamination.  Nay, 
sometimes  even,  when  the  officer  on  duty  had  his  atten- 
tion called  away  for  a  moment,  the  careless  sailors  did 
not  fully  empty  the  barrel,  and  it  was  rolled  away  with 
not  a  little  of  comfort  for  the  thirsty  souls  that  expect- 
antly were  grouped  about  the  fore  part  of  the  deck. 
Some  soon  showed  the  effects  of  these  little  irregularities, 
but  it  was  generally  supposed  to  be  due  to  the  effluvia 
arising  from  the  freed  spirits  while  standing  over 
their  work. 

175 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

I  particularly  recall  my  friend  Jack  Williams,  the 
captain  of  the  maintop,  whom  I  found  up  in  that  lovely 
retreat  with  his  hat  half  full  of  whiskey,  and  whom  I 
mercifully  assisted  in  emptying  said  beaker  by  taking 
large  draughts,  lest  he  would  get  himself  into  trouble,  as 
he  was  one  of  those  poor  disciples  of  Bacchus  who  must 
betray  himself  by  being  noisy  and  quarrelsome  in 
his  cups. 

While  on  this  subject,  I  may  as  well  say  a  few  words 
anent  my  own  experience  in  deep  drinking.  I  had  almost 
from  the  first  belonged  to  a  boat.  About  this  time  I  was 
one  of  the  crew  of  the  third  cutter,  the  wardroom  officers' 
boat  par  excellence.  As  our  duty  took  us  very  frequently 
on  shore,  during  our  long  stays  in  port,  the  temptation 
to  spend  my  money  was  almost  constant,  and,  as  I  began 
to  fear  that  the  end  of  the  cruise  would  leave  me  no  richer 
than  when  I  came  on  board,  I  felt  a  great  desire  to  be 
relieved  from  boat  duty.  My  particular  friend  among 
the  officers  was  Dr.  Tate,  the  assistant  surgeon,  whose 
cot  I  took  care  of,  and  to  him  I  applied  to  use  his  in- 
fluence with  the  first  lieutenant  to  grant  me  this  boon. 
The  answer  was :  "  What !  take  Lawrence  out  of  the 
boat?  No,  he  is  the  most  sober  man  in  it;  he  cannot 
be  spared."  This  angered  me,  and  I  resolved  to  get 
drunk  at  the  first  opportunity.  This  soon  presented  itself. 
The  first  time  we  went  ashore,  and,  while  waiting  for  the 
officers,  I  ran  up  to  the  nearest  groggery,  and,  one  after 
another,  drank  six  glasses  of  pisco,  a  fiery  fluid  that  does 
duty  for  whiskey  in  Peru,  a  distillation,  I  believe,  from 
the  cocoanut.  The  eflfect  was  not  felt  till  after  we  got 
on  board,  and  when  it  took  effect  I  was  too  dead  drunk 
to  be  offensive  in  my  actions ;  my  comrades  having  simply 
stowed  me  away  out  of  sight  till  I  got  sober.  I  tried  it 
once  more,  but  with  like  result;  none  of  the  officers  ever 
knew  of  my  inebriety,  and  I  gave  up  the  plan,  stopped 
my  grog,  and  became  thereafter,  so  long  as  I  continued 

176 


THE    ^'CONSTITUTION,"    END    OF    CRUISE 

in  the  ship,  a  teetotaler.  To  this  I  was  mainly  induced 
by  the  constant  examples,  or  rather  warnings,  before  me, 
as  some  ^f  our  very  best  men  were  utterly  unable  to 
keep  sober  if  any  intoxicant  was  to  be  had,  and  I  feared 
that  by  indulgence  I  might  lose  my  own  self-control  also. 
Our  crew,  though  of  the  best  material  ever  found  on 
board  of  a  man-of-war,  being  mostly  composed  of  well- 
trained  sailors  from  the  merchant  service  (the  only  way 
real  sailors  could  be  made),  and  from  every  maritime 
nation,  was  almost  equally  noted  for  seamanship  and 
drinking.  Of  course,  every  means  known  was  used  by  the 
ruling  powers  to  keep  liquor  out  of  the  ship,  but  always  in 
vain,  so  long  as  money  could  be  had  to  buy  it.  It  was 
usually  brought  on  board  in  prepared  beef  guts,  each 
holding  about  a  quart ;  the  most  ingenious  devices  for  cir- 
cumventing the  vigilance  of  those  in  charge  being  resorted 
to.  Among  the  many  I  will  only  describe  one,  not  because 
it  was  typical,  but  one  by  which  large  quantities  could  be 
smuggled  in  at  once.  The  ii  o'clock  boat  that  brought 
the  officers  on  board  was  sometimes  the  first  cutter,  a 
double  banked  ten-oared  boat.  While  waiting  for  the 
officers  at  the  dock,  a  sailor's  bag  was  filled  to  the  top 
with  these  "  skins,"  a  stone  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the 
bag  to  make  it  sink,  then  this  was  laid  in  the  bottom  of 
the  boat,  and,  being  painted  black,  and  the  night  dark, 
nothing  could  be  seen  unless  carefully  looked  for,  inspec- 
tion being  regularly  expected  on  arriving  at  the  ship's 
side.  In  the  meantime,  a  fish  line  had  been  attached  by 
a  thread  to  the  chains,  or  to  a  bar  for  the  boat-hook  to 
hold  to,  and,  while  the  officers  ascended  the  ladder,  one 
of  the  men  in  the  fore  part  of  the  boat  would  find  the 
end  of  the  fish  line,  slip  its  loop  over  the  toggle  at  the 
bottom  of  the  bag,  and  quietly  lift  it  over  the  side  of 
the  boat  to  sink  to  the  bottom.  The  master-at-arms,  or 
sergeant  of  marines,  would  come  down  to  inspect  not 
only  the  boat  but  men's  bodies  for  liquor,  but,  of  course, 

177 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

found  nothing,  and  so  reports.  Some  time  during  the 
night,  after  all  are  in  their  hammocks,  the  owner  of  the 
bag  would  very  gently  pull  up  his  prize  by  the  fish  line, 
which  is  probably  attached  on  the  other  side  of  the  ship, 
and  he  was  ready  the  next  day  to  sell  his  skins  of  rum 
or  pisco,  for  which  he  had  paid  twenty-five  cents,  or  fifty 
at  most,  for  a  dollar  and  a  half,  the  usual  price  of 
smuggled  goods. 

On  one  occasion  a  fair  chance  was  given  our  crew  to 
exhibit  their  superiority  in  seamanship  in  a  striking  man- 
ner. The  "  North  Carolina,"  seventy-four,  and  the 
"  Lexington,"  our  consort,  were  in  port,  when  an  order 
came  from  the  commodore  to  test  the  celerity  with  which 
sails  might  be  furled,  the  understanding  being  that  this 
operation  was  to  be  simultaneous  at  a  signal  from  his- 
ship.  The  sails  had  been  loosened  to  air,  but  clewed  up. 
At  the  given  order  of  "  Lay  aloft  topmen !  Loweryard 
men  on  the  shearpole!  Lay  aloft  all!"  every  man  was 
at  his  post  in  the  quickest  possible  time,  ready  for  the 
next  word,  which  was  not  long  coming :  "  Trice  up !  lay 
out!  furl!"  and  in  twenty-five  seconds  every  sail  was 
snug  to  the  yard,  and  booms  down.  Our  men  were  down 
and  on  deck,  while  on  the  other  ships  the  men  were  still 
on  the  yards.  This  so  annoyed  Commodore  Ballard,  that 
a  few  days  afterwards  an  order  was  given  to  repeat  the 
process  —  this  time  with  the  whole  sails  stretched  to 
their  full  length  by  bowlines.  This  time  it  took  us  one 
and  a  half  minutes,  and  we  were  all  on  deck;  while,  on 
the  other  ships,  the  men  were  still  on  their  yards. 

One  more  attempt  was  made,  viz.,  all  to  weigh  anchor 
and  set  sails.  Even  then  we  passed  the  others  while 
they  were  still  heaving  at  their  anchors  and  before  their 
sails  were  set.  This  ended  those  trials  of  celerity  and 
skill  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  our  men  and  acknowl- 
edged astonishment  of  our  commodore.  In  these  races 
the  deck  was  in  command  of  our  third  lieutenant,  Lewis 

178      . 


THE    ^^CONSTITUTION,"    END    OF    CRUISE 

G.  Keith,  whom  we  used  to  call  Bonaparte,  because  he 
was  both  quick  of  action  and  a  strict  disciplinarian. 

The  iong-wished-for  time  had  come  at  last,  the  end 
of  the  cruise.  It  was  a  magnificent  morning  in  the  be- 
ginning of  March,  1840,  when  the  long  call  of  the 
boatswain's  whistle,  re-echoed  by  the  two  boatswain's 
mates,  was  sounded,  and  the  welcome  order  was  heard 
thrice  repeated  from  their  brazen  throats :  "  All  hands 
up  anchor  for  home !"  I  need  not  say  that  never  had  men 
jumped  to  their  duties  with  greater  agility;  never  had 
sails  been  loosed,  hoisted,  and  sheeted  home  more 
quickly;  never  had  anchor  been  torn  from  the  bottom 
with  greater  despatch.  While  the  yards  were  trimmed 
to  the  course,  the  anchor  was  hove  in  sight,  catted  and 
ready  for  the  fish-hook.  As  the  ship  passed  the  other 
men-of-war  of  various  nationalities,  their  men  mounted 
the  hammock  nettings  and  rigging,  giving  us  rousing  and 
prolonged  cheers,  which,  it  is  superfluous  to  add,  were 
answered  by  every  throat  on  board  the  "  Falmouth " 
with  equal  vim. 

Our  stay  at  Valparaiso  was  short,  about  a  week,  dur- 
ing which  time  the  whole  crew  was  given  "  liberty " ; 
forty-eight  hours  were  allowed  each  watch,  and  the  boats' 
crews  were  the  last  to  go  on  shore.  Of  course,  every 
man  provided  himself  as  liberally  as  he  could  with  money 
to  spend.  Both  Tom  Allen  and  I  belonged  to  boats' 
crews,  but  our  friend  Pompey  was  also  among  the  num- 
ber on  liberty,  and  it  need  hardly  be  said  that  we  three 
decided  to  separate  ourselves  from  the  rest  so  as  to  have 
our  fun  to  ourselves.  Almost  the  first  thing  a  sailor 
wants  when  he  goes  ashore  for  a  spree  is  a  horse,  and, 
true  to  our  instincts,  we,  as  soon  as  possible,  repaired  to 
a  livery  stable  and  hired  three  saddle  horses,  intending 
to  go  to  Quillotta,  a  place  some  thirty  or  forty  miles  up 
the  coast,  but  rather  inland.  Even  my  former  mishap 
on  horseback  had  not  dampened  my  ardor,  but  it  had 

179 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

made  me  more  careful.  So  out  we  rode,  and  a  beautiful 
ride  it  was.  We  arrived  at  our  place  of  destination  a 
little  after  noon;  went  to  the  best  hotel  and  ordered 
our  dinner.  Here  we  fell  in  with  some  Chilian  officers, 
who,  seeing  that  we  were  dressed  in  ordinary  citizens' 
clothes  (provided  for  the  nonce),  and  learning  that  we 
belonged  to  the  American  man-of-war,  very  naturally 
took  us  for  officers,  a  mistake  which  Pompey,  who,  being 
accomplished  in  the  Spanish  language,  and,  therefore,  our 
spokesman,  took  no  pains  to  rectify.  The  result  might 
have  been  disastrous  but  for  the  quickness  and  sang- 
froid of  the  wily  Italian.  The  officers  with  whom  we 
had  been  hobnobbing  belonged  to  a  regiment  then  sta- 
tioned in  town,  and  it  occurred  to  them  that  the  proper 
way  of  showing  respect  for  the  great  American  nation 
was  to  turn  out  the  regiment  for  a  review  in  honor  of 
its  naval  officers.  We  were  soon  invited  to  accompany 
them  to  the  plaza,  where  we  found  the  regiment  drawn 
up,  headed  by  their  drummajor.  What  was  our  friend 
Pompey's  astonishment  to  find  in  this  grand  personage 
a  former  shipmate  on  the  "  North  Carolina !"  The  recog- 
nition was  mutual,  but,  at  a  sign  by  our  companion,  the 
drummajor  refrained  from  expressing  any  mark  of 
recognition,  and  all  passed  off  happily.  Had  those  proud 
Chilians  known  that  they  had  ordered  out  the  regiment 
to  parade  before  the  captain's  servant  and  two  men  before 
the  mast,  I  fear  we  had  not  got  away  with  whole  skins. 
We  remained  over  night,  but  very  early  next  morning 
were  on  our  way  to  Valparaiso,  happy  to  think  that  we 
were  well  out  of  the  scrape. 

We  dismounted,  and  Pompey  took  our  horses  to  the 
stable,  when  the  proprietor  insisted  on  double  pay  be- 
cause we  had  been  to  Quillotta.  However,  he  took  the 
money  offered  under  protest,  vowing  that  he  would  com- 
plain to  the  captain  as  soon  as  we  got  on  board.  This 
we  did  not  do  till  the  next  day,  as  we  spent  nearly  two 

180 


THE    ''CONSTITUTION,"    END    OF    CRUISE 

days  in  dodging  the  officers  sent  to  get  us  on  board,  for 
the  ship  was  only  waiting  for  us  before  sailing.  I  say  us, 
not  meanihg  our  little  trio,  but  the  whole  company  that 
were  on  shore.  However,  on  the  fourth  morning,  dressed 
in  clean  uniforms,  we,  ignoring  the  ship's  boats  waiting 
for  us,  hired  a  barge  from  the  shore  and  went  on  board 
in  style.  We  found  the  first  lieutenant  standing  at  the 
gangway  to  meet  us,  and  the  only  remark  he  made  was : 
"  So  you  have  come  at  last,  and  all  sober.  Well,  I  am 
glad  of  it ;  now  go  to  your  duty." 

The  next  morning,  immediately  after  breakfast,  order 
was  given  to  weigh  the  anchor  for  our  final  departure 
from  the  station.  My  place  being  in  the  maintop,  as  a 
sail-looser,  I  was  made  aware  of  a  shore  boat  which 
seemed  to  be  in  a  great  hurry  to  reach  the  ship  before 
we  were  fairly  under  sail.  The  boat  came  alongside  and 
a  man  ascended  the  ladder  on  the  larboard  side.  What 
was  my  astonishment  at  recognizing  him  as  the  man 
from  whom  the  horses  were  hired.  I  saw  all  this  from 
the  lubber's  hole,  and  something  instinctive  led  me  to 
keep  out  of  sight.  However,  he  came  up  to  the  captain 
and  began  a  speech,  accompanied  by  violent  gesticula- 
tion, the  purport  of  which  I  guessed  much  better  than 
he  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  Finding  himself  unable 
to  understand.  Captain  McKeever,  as  was  usual  with 
him  when  in  need  of  an  interpreter,  called  Pompey,  who 
at  once  took  in  the  situation.  By  the  man's  manner  it 
was  easily  seen  that  the  former  was  the  object  of  his 
wrath,  and,  to  get  at  the  root  of  the  matter,  Mr.  De 
Haven,  the  sailing  master,  who  also  spoke  Spanish,  was 
called.  Poor  Pompey  was  at  once  accused  of  having 
swindled  the  man  out  of  some  six  dollars,  which,  I  think, 
was  the  additional  claim  for  our  having  been  to 
Quillotta;  the  misunderstanding  between  us  being  that 
we  hired  the  horses  for  $2  a  day ;  nothing  was  said  about 
where  we  were  going,  and  we  had  understood  this  to  be 

181 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

our  right  to  keep  the  horses  as  long  as  we  chose,  so  long 
as  they  were  taken  good  care  of.  It  now  appeared  that, 
by  some  sort  of  tariff  of  which  we  were  uninformed,  the 
price  for  each  horse  to  Quillotta  was  $6,  and,  as  our 
Italian  friend  had  taken  the  horses  home  and  agreed  to 
pay  the  $i2«due  for  the  two  days,  we  supposed  all  was 
settled.  The  captain,  a  very  fair  man,  asked  his  servant 
what  he  had  to  say  for  himself.  The  latter  was  equal 
to  the  occasion,  as  I  afterwards  learned.  He  told  the 
captain  that  he  had  paid  the  man  $12  for  himself  and  a 
friend;  the  other  was  an  English  sailor  who  had  joined 
them,  and  he  could  not  tell  if  he  had  paid  or  not. 

By  this  time  the  ship  was  under  way,  and  leaving  the 
harbor  with  all  sails  set.  The  poor  man  was  told  to  go, 
as  there  was  no  time  for  further  investigation,  and,  see- 
ing no  way  of  getting  what  he  considered  justice,  he  left 
for  the  shore.  I  confess  I  always  felt  that  I  had  taken 
part  in  a  mean  action,  and  I  even  fear  now  that  the  wily 
Pompey  had  not  even  paid  what  he  claimed  to  have  done. 


182 


XVI 
HOMEWARD   BOUND 

WE  left  Valparaiso  with  a  fair  wind,  which,  by 
good  luck,  continued  to  wear  round  as  we 
rounded  Cape  Horn,  so  as  to  give  us  the  quick- 
est passage  then  on  record,  at  least  for  an  American 
man-of-war.  Notwithstanding  the  favorable  winds, 
however,  we  came  near  being  foundered  off  the  cape  in 
a  fearful  and  sudden  squall.  Possibly  I  may  have  been 
in  greater  danger,  but  I  am  certain  that  at  no  time  of  my 
life  has  death  seemed  so  near.  The  first  watch  —  the 
starboard  —  had  hardly  got  into  their  hammocks,  when 
it  came  with  a  fearful  suddenness.  I  happened  to  be 
stationed  at  the  halliards  on  the  quarter-deck.  I  was 
sitting  in  the  starboard  maintop-sail  halliard  rack  when 
it  struck  us.  Our  whole  topsails  and  top-gallant  sails 
were  set,  and  the  wind  was  a  little  forward  of  the  star- 
board beam.  Suddenly  the  order  was  given,  "  Let  go  the 
t'gallant  halliards !"  I  immediately  ran  down  to  the  mast 
railing,  where  they  were  belayed,  and  cast  them  off,  but 
before  I  could  get  back  another  and  wilder  cry  was  heard : 
"  Let  go  the  topsail  halliards !"  I  instantly  cast  them  off 
the  starboard  belaying  pins,  but  as  there  was  another 
part  fastened  on  the  larboard  side,  I  knew  I  must  get 
there  at  once  to  let  them  go.  This  was  an  easy  matter, 
for  by  this  time  the  lee-guns  were  in  the  water,  and  the 
deck  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees  to  the  ocean  level. 
I  simply  slid  down,  and  in  a  twinkling  the  duty  was 
done.  I  managed  to  partly  crawl,  or  partly  assist  myself 
with  the  ropes  which  had  been  thrown  across  the  deck, 

183 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

to  regain  my  first  position,  and  even  to  get  up  on  the 
hammock  netting,  but  here  all  hope  seemed  lost.  I  could 
see  nearly  the  whole  starboard  side  out  of  water,  and 
could  stand  on  the  side  of  the  hammock  nettings,  so 
much  did  the  old  ship  keel  over.  The  night  was  dark 
as  pitch,  and  nothing  was  visible  except  by  the  phos- 
phorescence of  the  breaking  billows,  whose  crests  seemed 
CO  be  cut  off  into  a  lurid  foam. 

"  All  hands  save  ship !"  was  the  next  call,  and  all 
came  tumbling  up  as  fast  as  possible.  The  great  diffi- 
culty seemed  to  be  to  get  the  topsails  down  on  to  the 
caps,  as  the  ship  careened  so  much  that  the  wind  blew 
the  sails  upwards.  However,  main  strength  conquered 
at  last,  every  available  man  pulling  on  the  buntlines  till 
the  yards  were  forced  down  on  to  the  caps.  By  this  time, 
the  helm  being  put  down,  the  wind  was  spilled  out  of 
the  sails,  and  the  old  hulk  righted  again.  The  danger 
was  over,  but,  as  the  gale  continued  to  increase,  word 
was  given  to  reef  the  topsails  and  to  furl  the  main 
course,  as  well  as  the  t'gallant  sails.  It  is  customary  in 
a  man-of-war  to  do  everything  at  once,  and  thus  every 
seaman  was  sent  aloft,  leaving  only  landsmen,  marines, 
and  boys  on  deck.  While  we  were  on  the  yards,  endeav- 
oring to  get  the  sails  under  control,  another  squall  blew 
the  foretop-mast  staysail  out  of  the  leach  lines,  or  else 
the  sheet  gave  way,  I  never  knew  which,  as  I  was  at  the 
lee  earing,  assisting  the  second  captain  to  haul  it  out  by 
holding  up  the  dog's  ear.  The  result  was  that  all  control 
was  lost  of  the  helm,  and  that  the  ship  fell  into  the 
trough  of  the  sea,  rolling  most  fearfully,  the  sails  some- 
times filling  like  a  balloon  above  our  heads,  and  then  sud- 
denly backing,  so  that  no  man  could  stand  on  the  foot 
ropes. 

Briefly,  we  were  on  the  yard  two  hours  and  a  half 
before  we  got  three  reefs  into  the  sails  and  could  get 
down  on  deck.     For  my  part,  I  had  got  out  to  the  yard 

184 


REEFING    OFF    CAPE    HORN 

(unfinished) 
PAINTED    IN    1880 


A    STORM    OFF    BERMUDA 
PAINTED    IN    1890 


HOMEWARD    BOUND 

at  once  with  the  second  captain,  and  for  an  hour  we  were 
exposed  to  the  whipping  of  reef-points  without  being 
able  to  accomplish  anything,  as  no  other  man  could  hold 
his  place  on  the  rest  of  the  yard  through  the  flapping  of 
the  great  sail.  After  all  was  done,  the  captain  of  the 
foretop,  a  good  seaman,  one  Smith,  went  up  to  the  first 
lieutenant  and  gave  him  a  piece  of  his  mind,  showing 
that  the  whole  affair  was  badly  managed.  I  suppose  Mr. 
Lyon  felt  guilty,  for  he  only  answered,  "  Well,  Smith, 
what  would  you  have  done?"  "  I,"  said  the  latter, 
"  would  have  reefed  the  foretop  sail  first,  then  hoisted  it 
and  kept  the  ship  steady,  when  we  could  all  have  assisted 
in  the  rest."  To  this  his  answer  was,  "  I  believe  you 
are  right.  Smith ;  now  go  about  your  business." 

The  rest  of  the  passage  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  was  one  of 
constant  fair  winds,  and  for  the  most  part  pleasant 
weather.  We  were  off  the  Rio  le  Plata  in  twenty-two 
days,  and  in  thirty  we  made  the  bay  of  Rio  again.  Here 
we  found  the  United  States  corvette  "  St.  Mary,"  besides 
some  English  men-of-war,  and  also  an  odd  kind  of  mer- 
chant vessel  —  a  brig  with  immense  beam  and  enormous 
spread  of  canvas.  I  have  forgotten  her  name  (I  think 
"The  Irish  Lass"),  but  she  was  said  to  be  an  experi- 
ment, and  had  the  reputation  of  a  capacity  of  fifteen 
knots  —  a  then  unheard-of  speed  on  the  ocean.  Be  it 
remembered  that  ocean  steam  navigation  was  then  in  its 
infancy,  and  that  no  man-of-war  in  the  world  was  then 
even  in  part  propelled  by  steam. 

On  one  of  the  English  ships  a  man  was  —  for  what 
crime  I  know  not  —  condemned  to  be  flogged  through  the 
fleet,  a  most  cruel  punishment  still  practiced  by  the 
nation  that  claimed  to  be  the  most  enlightened  in  the 
world !  This  fearful  ordeal  was  after  the  following  man- 
ner: The  culprit  was  condemned  to  receive  a  certain 
number  of  lashes  with  the  cat-of-nine-tails  on  his  bare 
back,   I   think  in  the  present  case  some  two  or  three 

1 8s 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

hundred.  He  was  fastened  to  a  grating  in  a  ship's 
launch,  and  sent  from  ship  to  ship,  to  receive  part  of  his 
sentence  alongside  of  each  ship  till  the  full  quantity  was 
given.  By  that  time,  of  course,  his  health  was  forever 
broken,  if  indeed  he  survived  the  horrible  infliction.  I 
am  happy  to  say  that  I  did  not  witness  any  part  of  this 
proof  of  Great  Britain's  love  for  her  defenders,  and  still 
more  glad  to  believe  that  nothing  of  the  kind  disgraces 
the  American  flag. 

The  fame  of  the  "  Falmouth  "  had  preceded  her ;  for 
when  some  of  the  crew  of  the  "  St.  Mary  "  asked  liberty 
to  visit  us,  they  were  told  that  they  might  as  well  be 
sent  on  shore  as  aboard  of  that  grog-shop!  Well,  our 
fellows  were  somewhat  renowned  for  their  hospitality. 

We  lay  in  Rio  a  week  or  more,  and  then,  up  anchor 
for  home  in  earnest.  What  a  welcome  sight  the  north 
star  was  as  it  appeared  near  the  horizon,  after  we  had 
passed  the  equator  and  had  fairly  entered  the  northern 
hemisphere!  The  passage  was  a  fine  one.  I  remember 
on  one  occasion  the  main  brace  was  spliced  at  the  request 
of  Mrs.  Bartlett,  the  before-mentioned  lady,  who,  with 
her  husband,  the  consul  at  Callao,  was  returning  to  the 
States.  Captain  Franklin  Buchanan,  then  lieutenant- 
commander,  who  had  been  in  charge  of  the  schooner 
"  Enterprise,"  was  also  a  passenger,  and,  though  he  bore 
a  hard  name  among  sailors  for  a  severe  disciplinarian,  I 
have  nothing  but  kindness  to  remember  of  him.  He 
allowed  me  the  use  of  his  water-color  materials,  and  took 
much  interest  in  my  feeble  attempts  at  art.  I  even 
engraved  on  ivory  a  small  design,  the  subject  of  which 
was  a  man-of-war  in  a  gale,  which  was  inserted  into  the 
lid  of  a  rosewood  box  for  epaulettes,  which  was  made  for 
him  by  our  carpenter. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning  in  early  June,  when  the  land 
wind  brought  us  the  perfumes  from  the  fields  and 
meadows  of  Staten  Island,  even  before  the  eye  detected 

1 86 


HOMEWARD    BOUND 

the  two  lighthouses  of  Neversink.  What  joy  it  was  to 
see  the  beautiful  New  York  harbor  again !  What  ecstasy 
to  feel  that  in  a  few  hours  we  would  be  free  men!  I, 
for  my  part,  free  to  visit  my  country  once  more,  to  see 
my  dear  mother  and  sisters,  if  indeed  they  were  living. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  June  when  we  were  paid 
off  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard.  I  had  already  been  on 
shore,  and  went  on  board  in  a  suit  of  "  store  clothes."  I 
remember  the  first  lieutenant  saying  I  looked  like  a 
Dutch  skipper,  a  compliment  I  scarcely  liked.  I  took 
board  in  a  sailor  boarding-house  of  the  better  sort  in 
Dover  Street.  I  had  a  room  to  myself  with  two  beds.  I 
have  always  been  in  fear  of  bugs,  and  when  I  found  my 
bed  infested,  although  for  more  than  a  year  I  had  been 
a  teetotaler,  I  deliberately  sallied  out  to  get  drunk,  so 
that  I  might  get  asleep.  I  found  a  house  open  —  it  was 
midnight,  or  past  —  and  then  I  drank  several  glasses  of 
whiskey,  and  started  for  home.  On  my  way  I  saw  a 
fellow  lying  in  a  gutter;  this  was  in  Cherry  Street.  I 
looked  at  him;  he  appeared  to  be  a  sailor,  and  had  a  cut 
over  his  eye  which  caused  his  face  to  be  covered  with 
blood.  I  aroused  him,  saying,  "  Shipmate,  where  is  your 
home?"  He  was  either  drunk  or  stunned,  and,  as  he 
could  not  give  me  an  intelligent  answer,  I  made  him  get 
up  and  take  my  arm.  Remembering  that  I  had  a  spare 
bed  in  my  room,  I  took  him  with  me,  and  he  was  soon 
asleep  in  it.  Thinking,  however  (the  whiskey  began  to 
take  effect),  that  he  might  be  a  rascal  and  rob  me,  I  put 
my  money  and  a  double-barreled  pistol  under  my  pillow 
and  went  to  bed.  When  I  awoke  next  morning  I  was 
lying  on  the  floor,  and,  having  dragged  my  pillow  with 
me,  both  my  treasure  and  my  weapon  were  lying  exposed 
to  view.  Fortunately,  my  guest  was  fast  asleep,  and, 
after  I  had  dressed,  I  aroused  him  and  sent  him  about 
his  business. 

New  York  at  this  time  was  swarming  with  discharged 

187 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

man-of-war  men,  the  "  Independence  "  having  just  dis- 
charged her  600  men,  so  that  there  were  at  least  800 
sailors  floating  round  the  city,  most  of  them  with  pockets 
full  of  money  and  contriving  in  every  way  to  get  rid  of 
it.  I,  with  others  of  our  crew,  who  were  at  home  in  that 
city,  had  in  some  way  got  well  acquainted  with  a  fire 
company  that  bunked  in  Elizabeth  Street,  near  the  Bow- 
ery, and,  during  the  week  or  ten  days  before  shipping, 
every  evening  was  spent  in  the  company  of  some  of  them. 
In  general,  I  cannot  recall  any  particularly  reprehensible 
act  on  our  part,  beyond  a  general  hilarious,  jolly,  and  not 
always  quiet  time.  Of  course,  there  was  an  element  of 
rowdyism  in  it,  but  this  was  more  due  to  exuberance  of 
spirits,  the  natural  outcome  of  long  restraint. 

But  the  time  had  come  to  find  a  ship  for  Liverpool, 
and  I,  with  a  friend,  set  about  to  look  for  one.  We  soon 
found  a  fine  ship,  the  "  Zenobia,"  of  New  York,  Captain 
Putnam.  She  was  lying  in  Old  Slip,  or  near  it,  and  we 
at  once  boarded  her,  found  the  mate  taking  in  cargo,  etc., 
and  offered  ourselves.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  like  your 
looks,  but  I  don't  believe  the  captain  will  take  you  in 
that  rig.  You  had  better,  if  you  want  to  ship,  go  home 
and  change  your  clothes,  for  Captain  Putnam  is  dead  set 
against  man-of-war  men."  Well,  we  did ;  went  back,  and 
were  accepted.  Having  thus  made  arrangements  for  my 
passage,  I  was  told  to  be  on  board  next  day,  as  the  ship 
would  then  be  ready  to  sail.  That  evening,  of  course, 
was  given  up  to  pleasure.  I,  with  some  of  my  late 
shipmates,  joined  our  friends  of  the  hose  company,  and  it 
was  agreed  to  have  a  grand  spree.  We  loaned  some  of 
our  white  uniforms  to  a  dozen  firemen,  who  were  thus 
transformed  into  man-of-war  men,  and  some  twenty  or 
thirty  of  us,  all  thus  arrayed,  started  out  to  what,  in  our 
day,  would  be  called  "  painting  the  city  red."  There 
were  at  the  time,  I  think,  only  four  prominent  theaters  — 
the  Bowery,  the  Park,  the  Broadway  (then  new),  and 

188 


HOMEWARD    BOUND 

the  Chatham  Square  Theater.  There  may  have  been 
more,  nor  am  I  certain  that  the  old  "  Park  "  was  then  in 
existence;  J  rather  think  the  Broadway  had  taken  its 
place.  Be  that  as  it  may,  we  visited  all  we  could,  took 
box-seats,  and  roamed  all  around,  drawing  attention  to 
our  pranks,  which  were  generally  overlooked,  even  by 
the  police,  as  we  were  all  supposed  to  be  fresh  on  shore, 
after  having  been  penned  up  in  ships  for  the  last 
three  years.  The  best  theater  we  visited  was  the  Broad- 
way ;  it  was  about  1 1  P.  M.  The  elder  Booth  was  playing 
"  Richard  the  Third,"  and  the  play  was  .near  its  end. 
The  great  actor  had  just  awakened  from  his  frightful 
vision,  and  was  in  the  height  of  his  fearful  soliloquy, 
when  some  of  our  fellows  began  to  shin  down  from  the 
gallery  on  the  columns  into  the  boxes,  creating  quite  a 
sensation,  it  may  be  easily  understood.  All  forgot 
Richard,  looking  up  intb  the  high  regions  behind  and 
above,  at  the  general  confusion  and  disturbance  produced 
by  the  white-clad  acrobats.  While  this  was  going  on, 
some  officers  of  the  police,  then,  I  believe,  called  con- 
stables, came  up  to  where  we  were  assembled,  and 
advised  us  to  quietly  leave  the  place  to  prevent  further 
trouble;  this  advice  was  taken,  as  we  were  none  of  us 
intoxicated  with  anything  stronger  than  fun,  and  we  all 
left  in  a  body.  It  seems,  however,  that  we  were  shadowed 
afterwards ;  but  this,  of  course,  we  did  not  know. 

It  was  now  after  midnight,  and  we  were,  at  least 
those  of  us  who  had  not  been  drinking,  ready  to  go  to 
our  lodgings.  However,  our  way  lay  through  the  infected 
region,  then  called  the  Five  Points;  but  as  we  went 
peaceably  by  a  groggery,  one  of  the  party,  a  sailor  named 
Jack  Carroll,  insisted  on  going  in  to  treat,  etc.  One  or 
two  of  the  firemen  went  in,  the  rest  of  us  remaining  out- 
side waiting.  I  don't  know  what  the  origin  of  the  trouble 
was,  but  after  they  came  out  Jack  got  into  a  quarrel  with 
somebody  and  struck  him;  the  man  ran  for  the  door  of 

189 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  grogshop,  got  inside  and  bolted  it  before  Carroll 
could  get  to  him;  I  remember  his  blow  just  missed  the 
man,  and  he  sent  his  fist  through  the  glass  door.  The 
police  then  got  into  the  fight,  and  one  of  them  received 
a  blow  from  Carroll  which  nearly  broke  his  jaw.  How- 
ever, Jack  and  a  fireman  friend  of  his  were  collared  and 
dragged  away. 

All  this  passed  in  a  moment,  and  as  we  who  had  not 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  disturbance  stood  in  a 
group,  talking  about  it,  wondering  what  began  it,  a  man 

came  up  to  us  and  said :  "  You  must  be  a  d d  set  of 

fine  fellows  to  allow  the  watchmen  to  take  your  friends 
ofif  without  rescuing  them."  On  this  we  all  started  after 
them,  and  were  just  in  time  to  see  them  taken  up  the 
steps  of  the  "  Tombs."  As  we  turned  to  go  back  we 
heard  a  man  say,  "  Take  that  one,  and  that  one,  and  that 
one  " ;  and  a  man  with  a  club  caught  each  one  by  the 
shoulder,  compelling  us  to  enter  that  magnificent  struc- 
ture also.  It  was  then  about  i  o'clock.  We  were  put 
through  a  small  iron  door  into  a  dungeon,  without  any- 
thing by  way  of  furniture.  Great  flagstones  composed 
the  floor,  which  was  in  most  places  half  an  inch  thick 
with  wet  mud.  We  sung  out  for  light,  and  they  gave  us 
a  candle,  which  only  served  to  show  the  horror  of  the 
situation.  However,  we  were  young,  most  of  us  were 
innocent  of  any  crime  and  fairly  light  of  conscience,  so 
we  huddled  together  as  best  we  could  to  wait  for  day- 
light. I  do  not  think  we  slept.  About  6  A.  M.  we  were 
taken  upstairs  to  another  room,  which  was  not  less  filthy, 
and  besides  was  already  occupied  by  criminals,  who  lay 
on  wooden  platforms  built  up  against  the  walls.  We 
did  not  even  sit  down,  for  fear  of  vermin,  of  which  the 
place  was  full,  and  here  we  waited  till  i  o'clock,  when 
we  were  called  up  before  the  magistrate  for  examination. 

This  man's  name  was  Bloodgood,  and,  after  hearing 
both  sides,  all  were  left  off  on  promise  to  send  a  certain 

190 


HOMEWARD    BOUND 

sum  of  money  to  pay  for  the  man's  broken  jaw.  I  think 
we  agreed  to  send  $5  each  after  we  got  home.  I  now 
understands  that  this  must  have  been  a  mere  farce,  in- 
tended to  soothe  the  hurt  watchman's  feelings,  but  I 
really  meant  to  do  it,  and  even  lent  the  money  to  one  of 
my  friends  for  the  same  purpose ;  but  when  I  got  back  to 
my  boarding-house  the  landlord  said  I  must  get  on  board 
at  once,  as  the  ship  was  out  in  the  stream  ready  to  get 
under  weigh.  So  I  was  hustled  off,  and  it  was  years 
afterwards  before  I  returned  to  New  York,  and,  there- 
fore, I  never  paid  the  imposed  fine. 


191 


XVII 

TO   EUROPE  AND   RETURN 

j4  S  I  had  no  other  working  clothes  than  my  man- 
/  \  of-war  uniforms,  it  became  at  once  apparent  to 
X  JL  the  captain  that  he  had  been  imposed  upon.  He 
said  nothing,  however,  but  looked  rather  hard  at  me,  as 
at  4  P.  M.  I  passed  him  on  my  way  to  take  the  helm. 
We  had  a  quick  passage,  seventeen  days  to  Liverpool,  a 
strong  northwester  blowing  the  whole  way,  and  not  a 
sail  taken  in,  except  one  or  two  days,  when  the  fore 
t'gallant  sails  and  mizzen  t'gallants  were  furled.  I  re- 
member one  day  when  we  were  ordered  to  set  t'gallant 
studding  sail,  that  I  gave  an  exhibition  that  pleased  the 
captain,  by  doing  it  in  true  man-of-war  fashion.  At 
Liverpool  I  left  the  ship  without  asking  leave;  but  it 
was  hardly  running  away,  as  I  left  about  noon  and  met 
the  captain,  who  asked  me  if  I  was  going  to  leave  him. 
On  my  saying  that  I  wished  to  visit  my  home,  he  merely 
said :  "  Very  well,  I  can  get  plenty  of  men  here."  I 
understood  that  the  ship  was  bound  for  India,  and,  as 
my  wages  was  $i6  per  month,  and  men  were  to  be  had 
here  for  $12,  he  would  be  the  gainer. 

The  railway  had  just  been  opened  between  Liverpool 
and  London;  at  least,  it  had  not  been  so  long  open  but 
that  the  stages  still  ran;  but  I  preferred  to  take  the 
latter,  as  I  was  anxious  to  see  as  much  of  the  country 
as  I  could,  and  a  happy  idea  it  proved,  or  I  should  never 
have  known  what  the  old  stage  coach  was.  I  had  a  seat 
outside  by  the  driver,  and,  as  we  drove  in  full  run  up  and 
down   the  hills,   which,  however,  were   never  steep,   it 

192 


TO    EUROPE    AND    RETURN 

proved  a  very  jolly  ride,  though  I  will  say  the  night 
was  very  tedious,  for  we  were  about  twenty  hours  on 
the  way.  The  terminus  at  London  was  the  old  Bull  and 
Mouth  tavern  in  Aldersgate,  if  I  rightly  recollect.  We 
arrived  after  noon,  and  I  found  myself  a*  last  in  the  great 
city,  but  wholly  lost  and  without  bearings.  Some  one 
piloted  me  to  lodgings  in  Little  Britain,  the  White  Horse, 
I  think  it  was,  a  name  later  made  well  known  in  Dickens' 
stories.  It  was  a  quiet  and  pleasant  place,  where  I  had 
a  room  and  bed  for  one  shilling,  and  breakfast  for  the 
same  sum.  Having  got  rid  of  my  hammock  and  bags,  I 
was  free  to  sally  out  at  once.  I  was  not  far  from  St. 
Paul's,  which  I  made  my  landmark  while  I  wandered  in 
search  of  the  river,  which  I  found  at  Blackfriars  Bridge. 
This  was  then  undergoing  repairs,  or  building  anew,  for 
I  remember  a  cofferdam  being  an  interesting  and,  to  me, 
novel  feature.  Not  seeing  any  shipping,  I  did  not  know 
whither  to  turn,  so  I  bethought  me  of  a  cab  standing 
near;  I  asked  the  man  to  take  me  to  the  nearest  dock. 
A  man  came  up  and  opened  the  cab-door,  and  I  stepped 
in.  "  Please  remember  the  waterman,"  he  said.  Why 
I  should  remember  the  waterman,  or  why  I  should  forget 
him,  I  could  not  imagine.  Who  was  this  individual?  I 
naturally  associated  a  waterman  with  the  water  and 
boats,  etc.;  but  here  we  were  on  dry  land;  however,  he 
did  not  leave  me  long  in  doubt  as  to  who  he  was,  for  I 
found  that  it  was  the  man  that  opened  the  door,  and 
that  immemorial  custom  required  a  penny  for  opening  the 
cab-door !  Ah,  I  little  knew  England  then  and  her  system 
of  enforced  beggary. 

We  were  a  long  time  getting  to  St.  Catherine's  dock, 
for  the  many  vehicles  and  loads  that  encumbered  the 
narrow  streets;  but  we  got  there  at  last.  I  do  not  re- 
member how  I  found  a  countryman,  a  sort  of  half  sailor 
and  half  'longshoreman;  but  I  did.  I  suppose  it  must 
have    been    on    Radcliffe    Highway    (now    St.    George 

193 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Street).  At  all  events,  I  found  my  way,  by  his  direc- 
tion, to  the  dock  where  the  Scandinavian  vessels 
lay.  There  was  at  that  time  a  railroad  worked  by 
rope  from  the  Minories  to  Lime  House,  and  I  took 
it.  It  was  my  first  railroad  ride,  and  a  fast  one  it  was, 
going  the  distance  in  five  minutes.  We  fairly  flew, 
and  to  me  it  was  immensely  interesting  to  see  how  we 
sped  along  over  houses,  streets,  and  everything.  I  found 
that  a  Norwegian  ship  would  sail  for  Sundsvall,  my 
native  place,  in  about  a  fortnight,  and  saw  the  captain, 
who  offered  me  free  passage  if  I  would  wait.  This,  of 
course,  was  agreeable  to  me,  as  I  wanted  to  see  some- 
thing of  London.  I  went  home  to  my  lodgings,  staid 
over  night,  then  brought  my  clothes,  etc.,  to  my  new- 
found friend,  who  stored  them  for  me,  leaving  me  as  free 
as  the  birds  to  roam  around  the  grand  Babylon  I  was  in. 
My  first  object  was  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  which,  as  it 
towered  up  as  my  landmark,  I  soon  found.  After  admir- 
ing it  outside,  I  went  in  to  make  a  tour  through  its 
interior.  Soon  a  guide  appeared  and  demanded  a 
shilling  for  taking  me  around  the  building.  I  thought 
that  it  would  be  all  there  was  to  pay,  but  in  this  I  was 
mistaken;  for,  having  ushered  me  to  the  stairs,  which 
he  told  me  led  to  the  whispering  gallery,  I  mounted  and 
found  there  another  guide,  who  also  demanded  a  shilling 
for  showing  me  that  curiosity.  Everybody  who  has  been 
there  knows  that  the  whispering  gallery  is  that  which 
surrounds  the  lower  part  of  the  great  dome,  and  that  its 
name  is  due  to  the  acoustics,  which  enables  a  whisper 
close  to  the  wall  to  make  a  circuit  so  as  to  be  heard  at 
the  farther  side  by  putting  your  ear  to  the  wall.  The 
next  ascent  cost  me  two  shillings  more;  this  brought  me 
to  the  lanthorn,  whence  the  view  was  very  extensive,  as 
the  day  was  clear  and  the  wind  must  have  blown  the 
smoke  away ;  for,  on  a  subsequent  trip  that  I  made,  forty 
years  afterwards,  nothing  was  to  be  seen  from  there  but 

194 


TO    EUROPE    AND    RETURN 

the  blanket  of  smoke  which  generally  covers  the  world's 
metropolis.  Three  shillings  more  were  demanded  for 
ascending  a  little  iron  ladder  that  led  to  the  ball;  I 
thought  this  too  much,  but,  feeling  sure  that  all  the  coin 
of  England  could  not  advance  me  higher,  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  stand  even  that  last  swindle,  therefore  I  paid  it. 
There  was  nothing  in  that  copper  ball  but  darkness ;  but 
from  the  small  glimmers  from  the  trap  door  I  should 
say  that  three  or  four  shoemakers  might  practice  their 
art  within  the  space. 

When  I  got  down  into  the  church  again,  another  shark 
wanted  to  show  me  the  crypts  for  two  shillings  more,  but 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  seven  shillings'  worth  of 
curiosity  was  enough  for  the  nonce,  and  made  my  escape 
from  that  dreadful  temple  of  Mammon.  I  may  as  well 
state  here  that  forty  years  afterwards,  when  I,  with 
my  family,  visited  St.  Paul's  the  charges  had  been  very 
much  reduced. 

I  spent  the  fortnight  very  happily  in  London,  visiting 
Westminster  Abbey,  where  I  even  just  touched  the  old 
coronation  chair,  with  its  block  of  Scotch  granite  on 
which  the  kings  of  Scotland  were  crowned  at  Scone,  with 
my  unannointed  buttocks;  but  I  was  afraid  to  sit  down 
squarely  for  fear  of  being  seen  and  ejected. 

The  time  was  spent  going  round  from  street  to  street, 
with  my  hands  in  my  pockets,  and  my  money  in  my 
hands,  and  giving  all  passers-by  as  wide  a  berth  as  I 
could,  especially  in  the  purlieus  so  graphically  described 
in  "  Oliver  Twist,"  which  I  had  recently  read,  fearing 
a  Fagin  or  one  of  his  gang  in  every  illy-dressed  man  or 
boy  I  saw.  I  used  to  walk  about,  staring  at  everything 
all  day,  eat  at  the  first  chop  house  I  found  when  hunger 
overtook  me,  and  sleep  at  the  first  lodging-house  near  me 
at  night ;  in  the  morning  start  on  and  go  farther,  day  after 
day,  having  literally  no  home  of  even  temporary  per- 
manence.    On  one  of  these  excursions  I  found  myself 

195 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

near  St.  James  Park,  and,  as  there  was  a  great  crowd,  I 
asked  what  the  matter  was.  Some  one  told  me  that  the 
Queen  was  "  going  out  to  take  a  hairing."  I  was  anxious 
to  see  her  majesty,  and  so  I  elbowed  my  way  to  the 
front,  almost  in  the  way  of  the  carriage  which  soon  came, 
drawn  by  four  brown  horses.  The  carriage  was  a  plain 
one,  and  mounted  men  kept  the  way  open.  It  contained 
the  Queen,  her  mother,  and  a  gentleman.  Victoria  was 
but  twenty  (my  age),  and  she  seemed  gay  and  happy.  She 
was  dressed  in  pink,  with  a  plain  straw  bonnet,  which, 
as  she  passed,  fell  back  on  her  shoulders  as  she  was 
laughing  at  something  that  was  said,  so  that  I  had  an 
excellent  view  of  her  head.  I  saw  her  again  the  same 
day,  and  her  image  became  strongly  impressed  on  my 
memory.  How  different  she  seemed  forty-one  years 
after,  in  nearly  the  same  place,  as,  with  my  wife  and 
daughter,  I  saw  her  in  her  carriage,  accompanied  by  her 
daughter,  and  with  John  Brown  behind!  She  was  then 
fat,  red  in  the  face,  and  very  cross.  Poor  woman !  There 
was  but  twenty-four  days  difference  in  our  ages,  but  I 
felt  that  I  would  not  exchange  happiness  with  her! 

My  peregrinations  in  London,  while  instructive  and 
free  from  care,  were  not  without  some  inconvenience,  on 
account  of  my  wandering  way,  proving,  in  one  instance 
at  least,  that  "  misery  makes  us  acquainted  with  strange 
bedfellows."  It  happened  in  this  way:  One  night  at  ii 
o'clock  I  found  myself  in  some  of  the  meaner  streets  of 
the  city;  I  think  it  must  have  been  what  was  then  called 
Radcliffe  Highway  (pronounced  by  sailors  "  Ratlify- 
way  ").  I  was  very  weary,  and  in  need  of  rest;  so  I  went 
into  a  mean-looking  place,  over  the  door  of  which  was  a 
transparent  sign  with  the  cheerful  announcement  that 
lodgings  might  be  had  for  a  shilling.  I  went  upstairs, 
and  was  shown  into  a  large  room  or  loft,  where  there 
were  about  thirty  double  beds.  One  was  assigned  to 
me  that  already  had  an  occupant.    I  saw  at  a  glance  that 

196 


TO    EUROPE    AND    RETURN 

remonstrance  was  useless,  so  I  doffed  my  clothes,  kicked 
off  my  boots,  in  the  toes  of  which  I  had  poked  some  rags 
containing:  all  my  gold,  and  turned  in.  My  companion 
was  already  asleep,  and  in  a  few  minutes  I  also  Was 
oblivious.  I  need  not  say  that  day  had  hardly  broken 
before  I  was  up  and  ready  to  sally  out  for  fresh  adven- 
tures, leaving  all  my  companions  fast  asleep. 

At  last  the  time  came  for  the  ship  to  sail,  and  I  must 
bid  adieu  to  London. 

The  passage  to  Sundsvall,  my  native  city,  occupied 
about  two  weeks,  and  was  made  without  event  worthy 
of  record.  During  the  passage  the  captain  had  become 
acquainted  with  my  history,  and  so  anxious  was  he  to 
communicate  the  good  news  to  my  mother  that,  on  his 
arrival  at  Sundsvall  to  enter  at  the  custom  house,  he 
sought  her  out  and  told  her  I  was  coming.  I  was  very 
much  annoyed  at  this,  for  it  spoiled  a  little  romantic 
surprise  which  I  had  hoped  to  carry  out,  though,  perhaps, 
it  was  all  for  the  best,  seeing  that  my  sudden  appearance, 
since  I  was  supposed  to  be  dead,  might  have  been  too 
much  for  my  mother. 

Needless  to  say  that  the  fatted  calf  was  deprived  of 
further  existence,  and  that  the  punch  flowed  freely  that 
evening!  But  for  the  life  of  me  I  could  not  tell  the 
story  of  my  travels  in  an  intelligible  way,  for  lack  of 
use  of  my  native  tongue.  However,  I  managed  to  make 
myself  partly  understood,  nor  was  it  many  weeks  before 
I  spoke  it  quite  fluently,  though  with  a  strong  English 
accent.  During  my  absence  both  my  grandfather  and 
grandmother  had  died,  and  I  found  my  mother  a  pro- 
prietor of  a  confectionery  establishment  on  a  rather  small 
scale,  she  having  found  it  necessary  to  shift  for  herself 
after  having  been  compelled  to  get  a  divorce  from  her 
husband,  who,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  was  no  longer 
living  in  the  city,  having  moved  into  a  remote  part  of 
the  country  with  his  new  family.    Happily,  my  mother's 

197 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

changed  circumstances  had  not  lost  her  the  friends  of 
her  youth  and  prosperity. 

Naturally,  among  my  old  schoolmates  and  early 
friends,  I  was  a  lion,  having  passed  through  many  adven- 
tures, and  acquired  the  English  language,  speaking  it 
with  great  fluency,  after  the  fashion  of  sailors.  There 
being  no  one  in  town  that  could  judge  of  my  grammar  or 
rhetoric,  I  was  even  called  upon  to  give  lessons  to  a  few 
of  my  old  cronies. 

Among  the  many  old  acquaintances  I  met,  I  remem- 
ber my  two  old  tyrannical  captains,  but  the  animosity 
that  may  have  secretly  lurked  in  my  heart  in  remem- 
brance of  the  floggings  was  wholly  drowned  in  the  punch 
we  drank  together  at  our  occasional  symposia.  Besides, 
did  I  not  know  that  school-boys  must  be  flogged  and 
cabin  boys  lashed?  Thus,  amid  friends  and  relations,  in 
daily  enjoyment,  flew  the  days  and  months,  till  the 
warblers  had  returned  to  nestle  in  the  new-born  foliage 
of  the  fragrant  birch  woods,  and  the  extensive  harbor 
was  freed  from  its  icy  bonds  and  became  again  resonant 
with  the  "  Heave  O !"  and  bustle  of  maritime  life. 

It  was  in  June,  1841,  that  I  again  bade  my  friends 
good-bye.  I  sailed  in  a  Dutch  galliott  belonging  to  the 
Isle  of  Man,  from  Sandsvall  to  Elsinore,  where  I  went 
ashore  to  wait  for  opportunity  to  go  to  the  United  States. 
After  a  stay  of  two  weeks  in  this  delightful  place,  I  got 
a  berth  on  board  of  a  brig  bound  to  Boston.  The  passage 
was  pleasant  and  not  long.  In  Boston  I  boarded  in  Pur- 
chase Street,  and  used  the  time  while  waiting  for  a  ship 
in  working  in  a  rigging  loft.  Soon,  however,  I  found 
myself  on  board  of  a  small  low-deck  schooner  belonging 
to  Portland,  and  bound  to  Wilmington,  N.  C,  where  we 
loaded  with  pine  planks  for  St.  Pierre,  Martinique,  W.  I. 
It  proved  a  memorable  trip,  as  the  vessel  was  leaky  and 
heavily  laden.  We  were  thirty-five  days  on  the  passage, 
and  she  made  so  much  water  that  it  became  necessary 

198 


TO    EUROPE    AND    RETURN 

to  work  the  pumps  every  minute.  We  were  even  obliged 
to  shorten  sail  to  keep  her  free;  for  if  she  went  over  five 
knots  we  could  not  do  it.  As  the  crew  consisted  of  but 
four  men  before  the  mast,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  we  had 
no  leisure  time  at  all,  unless  the  trick  at  the  helm  might 
be  so  called.  The  captain,  mate,  and  cook  made  seven 
men  in  all,  there  being  no  second  mate;  such  duty  as 
might  have  fallen  to  him  was  put  on  me,  as  I  was  in  the 
captain's  watch.  I  witnessed,  on  this  voyage,  more 
devilish  cruelty  and  meanness  on  the  part  of  the  captain 
than  I  ever  remember  to  have  seen  on  any  other  vessel. 
The  passage  being  longer  by  at  least  two  weeks  than 
we  expected,  we  got  short  of  almost  everything.  Even 
our  bread  ran  short;  that  is  to  say,  the  captain  did  not 
want  to  buy  a  new  supply  in  port,  and,  therefore,  tried 
to  keep  us  on  short  allowance.  The  fact  is,  we  had  to 
steal  it  and  hide  it  so  as  to  have  something  to  eat.  The 
lamp  oil  also  gave  out,  and  it  became  necessary  to  burn 
paint  oil  in  the  binnacle  lamp,  but,  as  this  required  con- 
stant trimming,  the  cook  was  made  to  keep  awake  nights 
to  attend  to  it.  The  matches  were  gone,  too,  and,  as  they 
accused  him  of  wasting  them,  he  was  made  to  do  this 
vestal  duty,  and  woe  to  him  if  the  light  went  out !  I  had 
some  matches,  and  so  long  as  they  lasted  I  would  let 
him  go  to  sleep  when  I  had  the  helm,  steering  by  the 
stars  for  an  hour  or  more,  just  waking  him  and  giving 
him  a  match  to  light  the  lamp  before  the  captain  or 
mate  came  on  deck ;  but  there  came  a  time  when  my  last 
match  was  gone,  and  I  could  help  him  no  longer.  Poor 
fellow!  I  remember  his  desperate  appeal  to  me  one 
morning  for  another  match !  I  told  him  I  had  heard  of 
fire  being  got  by  rubbing  two  pieces  of  wood  together, 
and  soon  after  I  heard  him  rubbing  for  dear  life.  In  the 
morning  there  was  no  breakfast ;  his  experiment  had  been 
futile.  The  captain  sent  for  him  into  the  cabin  and  gave 
him  an  unmerciful  flogging  with  a  rope's  end.    Then  the 

199 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

mate  took  the  large  lens  out  of  the  spyglass  and  used  it 
for  a  burning-glass,  and  soon  the  galley  fire  was  alight 
as  usual. 

I  will  not  prolong  my  account  of  the  misery  endured 
by  this  poor  colored  man.  Suffice  it,  he  suffered  daily 
injuries  and  torments  from  both  mate  and  captain,  till 
we  arrived  again  at  Wilmington,  and  here  I  think  their 
villainy  culminated  by  selling  him  into  slavery!  At  all 
events,  he  came  to  me  the  night  before  I  left  the  vessel 
(I  had  shipped  as  mate  in  another  that  day)  to  tell  me 
that  he  had  overheard  the  captain  and  mate  agreeing  to 
sell  him  and  divide  the  money,  as  that  would  be  getting 
rid  of  all  apprehensions  of  legal  action  on  account  of 
cruel  usage.  He  seemed  to  know  that  in  a  slave  State 
he  had  no  defense,  as  he  could  not  prove  that  he  was 
free,  but  asked  me  to  take  some  action  about  him  when 
I  should  arrive  in  New  York.  When  I  did  get  there, 
which  was  many  months  afterwards,  I  found  that  I  could 
do  nothing.  I  never  heard  of  either  him  or  his  enemies 
again. 

As  before  stated,  I  had  now  become  the  mate  of 
another  vessel,  having  been  recommended  by  my  former 
captain.  It  was  a  topsail  schooner,  belonging,  like  the 
former,  in  Maine,  but,  curiously  enough,  I  cannot  remem- 
ber either  the  vessel's  name  or  that  of  the  captain.  We 
went  to  Havana  with  a  load  of  heavy  pitch-pine  planks; 
anchored  near  the  Moro  lighthouse,  made  rafts  of  our 
cargo,  and  towed  them  clear  round  the  city  to  the  navy 
yard  in  the  back  harbor.  We  were  poorly  manned,  only 
four  before  the  mast,  and  it  was  a  herculean  task  to 
move  these  heavy  planks  into  the  water,  and  still  harder 
to  tow  them  miles  against  wind  and  current,  avoiding 
fouling  with  ships  in  the  port.  From  Havana  we  sailed 
for  Sagua  la  Grande,  or  rather  for  the  River  Sagua.  Our 
object  was  to  take  a  load  of  molasses  from  a  plantation 
on  the  bank  of  the  river.     As  soon  as  we  entered  its 

200 


TO    EUROPE    AND    RETURN 

mouth  the  captain  left  for  the  city  of  Sagua,  leaving  me 
to  get  the  schooner  up  the  river  as  best  I  could,  and  I 
shall  never^orget  the  trouble  and  misery  it  cost  me.  As 
I  knew  nothing  about  the  channel,  we  ran  ashore  fre- 
quently, and  had  to  carry  out  hawsers  to  the  trees  on 
the  bank,  or  by  kedges,  to  pull  her  off.  There  was,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  no  landing,  nothing  but  man- 
grove bushes  or  trees,  growing  out  of  several  feet  of 
water,  and  the  mosquitoes  by  night  were  only  equaled 
in  tormenting  us  by  the  sandflies  or  gnats  by  day.  How- 
ever, we  did,  after  nearly  three  days'  struggle,  arrive  at 
the  plantation,  where  the  captain  was  waiting  for  us. 
Here  the  banks  of  the  river  were  high,  and  a  staging  was 
built  from  the  vessel  for  the  hogsheads  of  molasses  to 
be  rolled  on  board. 

The  manner  of  taking  in  this  kind  of  cargo  was  as 
follows :  Empty  casks  were  stowed  in  the  hold,  one  tier 
first;  these  were  filled  with  molasses  by  means  of  a  long 
hose  and  hose  tub,  into  which  the  molasses  was  poured 
from  the  bunghole  of  the  cask  rolled  down.  When  one 
tier  was  full,  another  layer  of  empty  casks  were  stowed 
on  top  of  the  first  tier,  and  filled  in  the  same  way,  and  so 
on,  till  the  hold  was  full,  after  which  a  tolerably  heavy 
deck-load  was  put  on  board.  The  latter  we  had  to  dis- 
charge at  the  bar,  as  the  vessel  could  not  otherwise  get 
across,  and  as  there  was,  as  before  stated,  no  solid 
ground,  rafts  of  all  sorts  of  spare  spars  and  wood  were 
placed  among  the  mangrove  trees,  or  rather  on  the  roots, 
the  trees  being  cleared  away  for  the  purpose.  All  these 
casks  had  to  be  hoisted  on  board  after  we  were  over,  and 
it  may  easily  be  imagined  how  hard  we  had  to  work, 
short  handed  as  we  were. 

On  our  passage  home  we  had  some  rough  weather, 
and,  owing  to  imperfect  stowage  of  the  casks  in  the  hold, 
to  which  the  captain  himself  had  attended,  much  leakage 
must  have  taken  place,  as  we  kept  pumping  molasses 

20I 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

nearly  all  the  way  to  New  York.  I  suppose  it  was  to 
prevent  having  me  as  an  adverse  witness,  in  case  of  a 
suit  for  average  by  the  owner  of  the  cargo,  that  he 
hastened  to  pay  me  oi¥  on  the  very  day  of  our  arrival. 
Immediately  on  my  discharge  from  this  vessel  I  took  the 
North  River  steamer  for  Albany,  on  my  way  to  Buffalo, 
where  I  expected  to  find  my  two  friends,  Tom  Allen  and 
Pompey.  It  had  been  agreed  between  us  to  meet  in 
that  city  as  soon  as  I  could  return  from  my  visit  to 
my  native  place  in  Sweden.  We  had  parted  in  loving 
embraces,  in  true  Italian  style,  on  the  wharf  of  the  Albany 
boat  soon  after  our  discharge  from  the  "  Falmouth,"  they 
to  leave  for  Buffalo  by  the  evening  boat,  and  I  to  find  a 
ship  for  England  and  Sweden,  afterward  to  meet  them  in 
their  expected  home  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie.  But  the 
fates  that  rule  a  sailor's  life  did  not  enable  me  to  fulfill  my 
part  of  the  contract  before  two  years,  instead  of  one,  had 
elapsed.    Thus  it  was  that  we  never  met  again. 

Among  the  passengers  on  the  steamer  I  found  another 
young  sailor,  who,  like  myself,  was  bound  for  the  great 
lakes.  We  drifted  into  a  talk,  and  I  found  that  he,  too, 
had  served  as  mate  on  the  salt  seas.  Almost  immediately 
we  became  friends,  drawn  together  by  that  mysterious 
sympathy  which  makes  brothers  of  men  regardless  of 
whence  they  came,  or  of  their  antecedents,  and  which, 
perhaps,  is  akin  to  that  attachment  which  we  call  love 
at  first  sight  between  the  sexes.  True,  we  often  find  on 
closer  acquaintance  that  affection  has  been  misplaced, 
even  when  love  or  friendship  still  remains,  that  prin- 
ciples demand  our  separation,  for  firm  and  lasting  attach- 
ment must  necessarily  rest  on  character.  In  this  case, 
however,  intuition  made  no  mistake,  as  my  new  friend 
proved  to  be  a  man  of  most  excellent  moral  character, 
uniting  to  his  first-class  seamanship  a  mental  culture 
which  fitted  him  for  any  position  in  the  social  world  to 
which  he  might  aspire.     Though  we  parted  in  Albany, 

202 


TO    EUROPE    AND    RETURN 

he  to  go  by  packet  on  the  canal,  while  I  chose  the  rail- 
way, we  met  again,  and,  as  shipmates  before  the  mast, 
made  several  trips  upon  the  lakes.  After  his  marriage 
he  lived  in  Buffalo  till  the  tide  began  to  set  to  Chicago, 
whither  he  moved,  to  become  in  time  the  father  of  a  large 
family,  and  one  of  its  most  respected  citizens. 

Whenever,  as  I  invariably  do  when  possible,  I  travel 
on  the  Empire  State  Express,  and  am  shot,  as  it  were,  by 
a  catapult  past  the  hills  that  intervene  between  Albany 
and  Schenectady,  my  mind  runs  back  to  this,  my  first 
assay  of  railroad  travel.  I  ask  myself  where  is  that  hill 
over  which  the  train  was  drawn  with  cables  and  stone- 
loaded  box  cars  as  counterweights,  or  was  it  that  the 
coaches  of  one  train  was  drawn  up  by  the  weight  of 
another  that  went  down  the  hill  on  the  other  side?  I 
cannot,  at  this  distance  of  time,  recall  details,  but  I  am 
disposed  to  hold  to  the  first  theory.  It  was  a  strange 
ride.  With  a  lot  of  others  who  traveled  second-class,  I 
was  shut  up  in  a  freight  van,  which  the  gay  young  men 
within,  who  were  my  companions,  called  "  the  hyena 
car,"  I  suppose  from  the  exuberant  and  noisy  crowd  it 
contained.  We  passed  Syracuse  in  the  night,  so  that  I 
saw  nothing  of  the  village.  I  think  it  must  have  been 
noon,  or  after  that,  when  we  arrived  at  Rochester.  Here 
I  took  the  packet  boat  on  the  canal,  as  I  learned  that  I 
could  get  no  farther  than  Batavia  by  rail;  and,  indeed, 
it  was  a  great  relief  to  get  on  to  that  pleasantly-arranged 
boat,  with  its  convenient  beds  and  good  meals.  I  think 
I  have  never  traveled  anywhere  more  comfortably.  I 
remember  being  very  much  struck  with  the  magnificence 
of  the  canal  works  at  Lockport;  it  was,  in  fact,  the  first 
canal  on  which  I  had  ever  been.  We  were,  if  my  memory 
serves  me  rightly  forty-eight  hours  on  our  way  to  Buffalo, 
where  I  landed  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  May,  1842. 


203 


XVIII 

IN  BUFFALO  IN  1842,  AGED 
TWENTY-THREE 

HAVING  found  a  pleasant  private  boarding- 
house  near  the  Terrace  on  Pearl  Street,  my  first 
thought  was  for  my  friends,  loyalty  to  whom 
had  been  the  principal  motive  of  my  coming.  Naturally, 
I  sought  for  them,  or  information  of  them,  on  the  docks, 
among  the  sailors.  I  found  one  who  remembered  my 
English  friend,  and  who  informed  me  that  he  had  left 
Buffalo  for  the  lower  lake,  and  he  heard  that  he  had  gone 
there  to  take  service  in  the  British  navy,  and  that  he 
thought  I  might  learn  of  him  at  the  Niagara  dockyard. 
I  found  that  a  small  steamer  was  making  daily  trips  to 
Chippawa,  and  that  I  was  in  time  to  board  her.  This  I 
did,  and  thus  had  my  first  view  of  the  magnificent  river, 
which  in  after  years  was  to  be  so  much  my  delight.  At 
Chippawa  I  hired  a  wagon  to  take  me  to  Queenston,  and 
soon  I  had  my  first  glimpse  of  the  great,  the  beautiful, 
the  terrific  Niagara.  Shall  I  confess  that  I  was  disap- 
pointed? I  had  imagined  a  much  greater  height,  and 
even  before  my  arrival  the  fearful  din  and  mist  had  ex- 
cited my  imagination  as  to  altitude,  without  taking  into 
the  account  the  vastness  of  its  extent  and  volume.  But 
it  must  be  remembered  that  from  the  point  from  which 
I  approached  one  has  a  strongly  foreshortened  view  of 
its  grandeur.  I  slept  that  night  at  Queenston,  in  a  little 
pleasant  hostelry.  I  often  see  the  house  when  I  stop  or 
pass  by  the  quaint  old  village,  but  if  it  still  is  a  tavern  I 
know  not.    And  where  now  is  the  boniface  that  kept  it? 

204 


IN    BUFFALO    IN    1842 

The  next  morning  I  walked  the  rest  of  the  way  through 
the  woods  —  a  pleasant  walk  it  was  —  to  Niagara.  My 
inquiries  w^re  fruitless  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  my 
friend,  and  I  returned  to  Queenston,  thence  by  horse- 
boat  across  the  river  to  Lewiston,  and  Niagara  Falls  by 
wagon,  and  rail  to  Buffalo. 

After  this  wild-goose  chase  I  made  no  further  effort 
to  find  my  friends,  for  I  knew  the  erratic  course  of  sailor 
life  too  well  to  hope  for  success,  and  reluctantly  I  realized 
that  they  were  out  of  my  life  for  good.  This  separation 
was  painful,  for  loyalty  to  friends  has  ever  been  one  of 
my  strongest  characteristics.  Of  course,  I  knew  it  was 
for  the  best,  as  my  ambition  was  destined,  sooner  or 
later,  to  bring  about  the  same  result.  It  is  curious  how 
little  real  friendship  sometimes  is  based  on  character,  or 
even  morals,  and  when  I  learned,  as  I  later  did,  the  reason 
of  their  leaving  Buffalo,  I  was  grieved,  but  not  surprised. 

My  informant,  a  lake  navigator  whose  name  I  cannot 
now  recall,  had  known  them,  and  this  is  the  story  he 
told  me:  On  their  arrival  in  Buffalo,  Thomas  Allen, 
being  a  first-class  sailor,  as  well  as  a  man  of  some  educa- 
tion, found  it  easy  to  obtain  employment  as  mate  of  a 
vessel  on  the  lakes,  the  pay  from  which  would  render  it 
possible  to  pay  for  his  friend's  education  in  some  private 
school.  He  found  a  teacher  in  the  Fredonia  Academy 
who  was  willing  to  take  the  young  Italian  as  boarder, 
the  understanding  being  that  his  mental  pabulum  was 
to  be  furnished  by  his  wife  also.  One  day,  on  entering 
the  school-room,  he  found  his  wife  and  her  beautiful 
pupil  over  the  book  with  arms  around  each  other's  necks, 
and  there  was  a  scene!  The  poor  young  man  was 
threatened  with  instant  and  dire  vengeance,  but  his  quick 
Italian  wit  took  in  the  situation  and  its  consequences. 
Furious  with  feigned  wounded  honor,  he  upbraided  the 
master  for  even  for  a  moment  supposing  that  what  he  had 
seen  was  anything  but  a  platonic  exhibition  of  mutual  in- 

205 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

terest,  indignant  that  anything  base  could  be  imagined 
against  a  man  so  honorable  as  himself,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  purity  of  a  lady  whose  affection  was  that  of  a 
mother  towards  a  hapless  orphan.  He  even  threatened 
to  sue  for  defamation  of  character,  etc.,  etc.  The  irate 
husband  cooled  on  thinking  that,  perhaps,  he  had  been 
too  hasty,  and  that  he  had  placed  himself  in  a  ridiculous 
light,  began  to  apologize,  and  ending  by  assuring  him  of 
the  continuation  of  his  friendship  and  aid  in  his  studies. 
Thus  all  was  well  and  smoothened  over;  but  it  was  not 
long  before  it  became  known  that  the  bright  black  eyes 
of  the  handsome  foreigner  had  captured  the  heart  of  a 
young  lady  boarder  at  the  seminary,  whose  brother  had 
swore  to  have  the  heart  of  the  young  Lothario.  He, 
thinking  that  discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valor, 
took  instant  departure,  whither  my  informant  could  not 
say.  In  the  meantime,  my  English  chum  had  taken  to 
drink,  which  was,  indeed,  his  besetting  sin,  and  thus 
losing  his  situation,  had  departed  from  Buffalo  for 
Canadian  waters,  to  find  his  natural  bent  on  board  of  a 
British  man-of-war. 

In  looking  round  for  employment,  I  found  it  necessary 
to  change  my  lodgings,  so  as  to  be  more  in  touch  with 
my  profession.  I  therefore  moved  my  belongings  to  the 
Sailors'  Home,  then  No.  17  Main  Street.  This  was  an 
institution  under  the  wing  of  the  Bethel  Society,  and 
watched  over  by  the  influential  ladies  of  the  various 
churches,  mainly  Presbyterian,  who  interested  themselves 
in  the  moral  well-being  of  the  seafaring  population.  The 
house  was  kept  by  an  old  sea  captain  and  his 
wife,  both  natives  of  Cape  Cod,  intelligent  and  pious, 
with  most  of  the  characteristics  of  their  pilgrim 
parentage.  Their  influence  upon  their  boarders,  which 
were  mostly  of  the  better  class  of  seamen,  was  excellent, 
and  I  made  many  friends  among  them,  so  that  I  was 
well  contented  with  my  sojourn  there ;  but  I  little  thought 

206 


IN    BUFFALO    IN    1842 

that  coming  to  a  sailors'  boarding-house  was  to  cause  a 
radical  change  in  the  purpose  of  my  life.  It  is  true  that 
I  had  not  adopted  the  life  of  a  sailor  because  I  loved  the 
sea,  but  rather  as  a  means  of  getting  away  from  a  home 
that  had  been  rendered  unbearable  to  me  from  its 
domestic  infelicity,  and  that  my  ambition  had  no  higher 
aim  than  that  of  being  among  the  best  of  my  class;  yet 
there  lurked  a  hope  within  my  inner  consciousness  that 
some  time  in  the  uncertain  future  I  might  find  a  way  to 
spend  a  part  of  my  life  on  shore,  in  some  congenial 
occupation,  but  I  had  hitherto  formed  no  plan,  nor  could 
I  conceive  of  any  other  means  to  keep  from  absolute 
want  than  the  "  life  on  the  ocean  wave."  Later  on  it 
will  be  seen  that  my  association  with  my  landlord  opened 
a  vista  in  the  dim  future  through  which  I  could  faintly 
perceive  a  possible  escape. 

I  have  elsewhere,  in  describing  my  man-of-war  life, 
mentioned  my  crude  attempts  at  engraving  on  whale's 
teeth,  and  the  offers  made  to  enable  me  to  study  engrav- 
ing on  steel,  and  in  this  line  lay  my  only  hopes  of  leaving 
the  sea;  but  I  had,  in  my  experimental  efforts,  learned 
sufficiently  of  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  this 
department  of  art  before  excellence  could  be  attained, 
to  be  not  at  all  sanguine  of  success;  and  even  if  that 
were  attainable  in  the  end,  how  was  I  to  live  during  the 
long  interval  that  must  of  necessity  intervene?  I  had 
begun  to  look  on  any  plan  as  chimerical. 

My  first  employment,  after  getting  fairly  settled  in 
my  new  boarding-house,  was  as  a  rigger  on  the  brig 
"  Preble,"  then  still  on  the  docks  at  Bidwell  &  Banta's 
shipyard.  She  was  completely  rigged  before  being 
launched,  and  I  have  a  very  vivid  recollection  of  the 
launching.  I,  with  other  men,  was  on  board  as  she 
went  off,  and,  as  the  creek  was  too  narrow  to  allow  the 
vessel  free  scope,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  check-line 
on  her  port  quarter  (she  was  launched  stern  foremost) 

207 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

so  as  to  turn  her  lengthwise  in  the  creek  after  she  took 
the  water.  The  Hne  was  brought  to  the  quarter  bit  and 
two  round  turns  taken,  some  five  or  six  of  us  holding 
on  to  the  line,  I  being  the  one  in  charge  of  the  work,  and, 
consequently,  nearest  the  bit.  The  vessel  went  of¥  with 
great  rapidity,  and  when  the  strain  came  on  the  rope  it 
required  our  united  strength  to  keep  it  taut.  As  soon  as 
the  men  behind  me  felt  it  slip  a  little  through  their  hands 
they  let  go,  leaving  me  alone  to  check  the  speed.  I  had 
not  been  brought  up  to  let  go  a  rope  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, and  the  result  was  that  the  skin  was  actually 
burned,  so  that  the  insides  of  my  hands  were 
badly  blistered.  I  was,  of  course,  unable  to  work  for  a 
good  while,  but  it  is  to  the  honor  of  the  employers  or 
owners  of  the  brig,  Messrs.  Joy  &  Webster,  that  they 
ordered  my  pay  to  go  on  till  my  hands  were  healed. 

This  was  in  May  or  early  June  (1842),  and,  as  the 
navigation  was  slack  during  the  summer  months, 
I  was  thrown  on  my  love  of  drawing  for  recreation 
while  in  my  boarding-house.  I  tried  to  paint  a  portrait 
in  miniature,  in  water  colors,  and  succeeded  in 
producing  a  recognizable  likeness.  This  was  really  a  be- 
ginning. Captain  Black  had  been,  in  his  youth,  a  student 
of  art,  and  he  possessed  two  portraits,  one  of  himself  by 
Stuart,  from  whom,  indeed,  he  had  received  instruction  in 
painting,  the  other  of  his  wife,  by  himself  —  not  a  bad 
head,  either.  It  occurred  to  me  that  I  might  be  able  to 
paint  a  portrait,  too,  and  I  told  him  so,  whereupon  he  sug- 
gested that  I  try  it.  He  went  with  me  and  assisted  me  to 
purchase  my  first  material,  and  gave  me  an  unfurnished 
garret  room  for  a  studio.  A  board  with  pegs  in,  set  against 
the  wall,  served  for  an  easel,  and  thus  I  was  ready  to  com- 
mence. I  did  not  expect  then  to  limit  my  talents  to  mere 
portrait  painting.  Visions  of  competition  with  the  great- 
est masters  haunted  me  night  and  day.  My  first  essay 
was  from  my  favorite  Pollock.     I  attempted  to  paint  in 

208 


IN    BUFFALO    IN    1842 

size  of  life  a  death-bed  scene,  illustrating  a  passage  in 
"The  Course  of  Time,"  which  had  produced  a  strong  im- 
pression on  my  mind.  It  is  the  death  of  a  young  mother, 
who  leaves  a  new-born  babe  with  prayer  of  faith  for  its 
future  care. 

"And  now  her  eyes  grew  bright,  and  brighter  still, 
"Too  bright  for  ours  to  look  upon  suffused 
"With  many  tears,  and  closed  without  a  cloud. 
"They  set  as  sets  the  morning  star,  which  goes 
"Not  down  behind  the  darkened  west,  nor  hides 
"Obscured  among  the  tempests  of  the  sky, 
"But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  heaven." 

Ah,  how  often,  while  at  the  helm  in  my  morning 
watch,  had  I  not  seen  the  fading  of  the  morning  star ! 

My  picture  was  from  a  small  steel  engraving  in  the 
book.  I  need  not  say  that  it  was  a  failure,  but  while  thus 
engaged  two  of  the  city's  most  prominent  ladies  made 
their  appearance.  They  found  a  young  sailor  in  red  shirt 
and  duck  trousers,  with  sleeves  rolled  up  in  the  very 
agony  of  high  art. 

They  were  visitors  from  the  Presbyterian  Church  for 
the  week,  curious  to  see  the  strange  young  animal  which 
Captain  Black  informed  them  he  had  in  his  garret.  Thus 
began  my  acquaintance  with  the  elite  of  Buffalo,  and  I 
may  add  I  was  at  once  adopted. 

Goethe  has  said,  in  substance,  that  if  anyone  could 
know  in  advance  the  difficulties  before  him  he  would 
hardly  have  the  courage  to  devote  his  life  to  art.  Here 
ignorance  was  bliss,  indeed,  and  there  was  no  question  of 
my  ignorance !  Of  this  my  new-found  friends  must  have 
been  painfully  aware,  though  their  kind  delicacy  forbade 
to  give  other  expression  to  it  than  a  tactful  suggestion 
that  the  acquaintance  and  advice  of  some  good  artist 
would  prove  of  benefit.    They  even  volunteered  to  pro- 

209 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

cure  me  an  introduction  to  Mr.  Wilgus,  a  popular  young 
artist  who  had  studied  under  the  celebrated  Professor 
Morse  in  his  New  York  School  of  Art.  Later,  in  some 
way,  I  had  become  acquainted  with  a  gentleman  of  my 
own  age  who  was  then  a  pupil  of  Mr.  Wilgus,  and  who 
volunteered  to  introduce  me  to  his  master,  an  offer  I 
eagerly  accepted. 

Mr.  Wilgus  had  a  studio  in  a  prominent  building,  re- 
cently removed  to  make  place  for  the  American  Express 
offices. 

At  my  timid  knock  on  the  door  it  was  opened  by  a 
young  man  nearly  my  own  age,  with  coal-black  hair, 
smooth  and  silky,  large  lustrous  black  eyes,  with  clear, 
but  pale,  cheeks,  slightly  tinged  with  that  delicate  rose,  of 
which  I  have  since  learned  to  know  the  sad  significance; 
a  straight  and  beautifully  formed  nose,  a  classic  mouth 
seriously  smiling  —  to  me  he  seemed  Apollo  clad  in  sum- 
mer blouse,  with  palette  for  lyre  and  for  bow  a  rest-stick. 

The  room  was  large,  and  the  single  light  centered 
on  a  part,  leaving  the  rest  obscure,  mysterious,  and 
Rembrantesque.  His  pictures  were  mostly  of  Seneca 
Indians,  a  goodly  number  of  which  he  had  tried  to  make 
immortal,  but  which  later  were  all  destroyed  by  fire  in 
the  home  of  the  late  Caleb  Lyons,  of  Lyonsdale,  who 
had  become  their  owner.  There  were  several  good  heads 
of  citizens  of  Buffalo,  one  of  which*  I  shall  always  in 
my  memory  class  among  the  best  in  technique  I  have 
ever  seen.  When  later  we  became  intimate  I  asked  him 
what  became  of  it,  and  he  told  me  he  had  lost  it  on  a 
trip  to  Meyaquez  in  Porto  Rico,  where  he  had  been  very 
successful  in  the  pursuit  of  his  art. 

I  had  been  greatly  taken  with  Mr.  Wilgus*  coloring 
and  technique,  and  in  reply  to  my  question  he  informed 
me  of  what  his  palette  consisted.     Very  simple  it  was. 


*  A  profile  view  of  the  late  Dr.  Bryant  Boswell. 

3IO 


CONJOCKITY,    AGED     105 

PAINTED    IN    1850 


IN    BUFFALO    IN    1842 

and  I  lost  no  time  in  placing  the  same  pigments  on  my 
own.  I  found  that  they  produced  improvements  in  my 
efforts,  and-4hen,  too,  I  made  another  discovery;  by  the 
use  of  a  "  badger  "  I  could  get  a  smooth  surface  —  to  me 
a  great  desideratum,  and  I  began  to  flatter  myself  that 
I  had  not  much  more  to  learn.  I  had  got  a  commission 
to  paint  a  lady's  portrait  life  size  for  two  dollars.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  making  a  smooth  picture  which  her  friends 
could  recognize,  and  what  more  could  art  accomplish? 
In  my  joy  and  pride  at  having  succeeded,  I  invited  the 
friend  who  had  introduced  me  to  Mr.  Wilgus  to  come 
and  see  my  work.  He  came,  but  said  nothing.  I 
imputed  his  silence  to  astonishment,  and  there  was  even 
a  lurking  suspicion  in  my  mind  that  jealousy  was  at  the 
bottom  of  his  heart.  However,  I  was  determined  that 
he  should  openly  acknowledge  my  genius,  so  I  asked  him 
what  he  thought  of  it;  it  seemed  to  embarrass  him,  but 
I  pressed  him  for  an  answer.  "  Do  you  wish  me  to  tell 
you  just  what  I  think?"  "Certainly."  "Well,  then, 
your  picture  is  good  for  nothing,  not  even  worth  the 
canvas  on  which  it  is  painted."  All  my  pride  was  gone, 
for  I  felt  that  he  had  reluctantly  told  the  truth,  and  I 
knew  that  I  was  not  born  to  obscure  the  fame  of  Rafael. 
Did  I  hate  him  for  his  candor?  No!  I  loved  him  for  it, 
and  I  love  him  still,  for  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Vanduzee* 
is  yet  in  the  flesh  (though  that's  not  much),  and  I  believe 
he  still  divides  his  clerical  duties  with  dalliance  with  his 
early  mistress  —  Art.  "  But,"  I  said,  "  I  have  used  the 
same  colors  as  Wilgus."  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  but  that's  not 
the  way  to  paint."  "What,  then,  is  the  way  to  paint?" 
I  gasped.  "  You  must  study  to  get  your  tints  so  as  to 
resemble  the  place  on  the  face  where  they  are  to  go, 
then  put  them  on  boldly  and  don't  touch  them  again  if 
you  can  help  it."    This  was  the  first  and  only  oral  lesson 


*  Since  deceased. 

211 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

I  have  had  in  handling  colors,  but  it  holds  good  to  this 
very  day.  But  I  did  not  then  quite  understand  it,  and 
my  next  picture  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  very  poorly- 
executed  mosaic.  This  was  a  large  canvas  upon  which 
I  painted  the  full-length  portrait  of  my  friend,  the  Bethel 
minister,  holding  a  young  sailor  by  the  hand  in  friendly 
grasp. 

About  this  time  I  became  acquainted  with  a  boarder 
in  the  same  house,  one  Axel  Adlersparre,  a  Swede,  who 
I  soon  found  to  be  a  very  remarkable  man.  He  was  of 
noble  family,  and  had  been  page  to  the  Princess  Jose- 
phine, the  consort  of  Oscar  I.  (then  crown  prince),  for 
two  years  succeeding  his  graduation  as  ensign  in  the 
navy  and  finishing  his  studies  at  Carlberg's  Military 
Academy,  where  he  had  attracted  the  Prince's  attention 
by  his  advance  in  mathematical  studies,  and  as  the  chief 
fencer  of  the  class.  We  soon  became  warm  friends,  and 
it  was  by  his  advice  that  I  chose  portrait  painting  for 
my  specialty.  His  own  attention  had  been  particularly 
called  to  that  branch  of  the  art  by  reason  of  his  sister's 
studies,  who,  indeed,  at  this  very  time,  was  pursuing 
them  in  Paris  at  public  expense,  having  gained  a  prize 
in  the  Academy  at  Stockholm. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  overrate  the  influence  this 
man  had  on  my  future  life  and  conduct.  Vastly  my 
superior  in  learning  and  intellect,  of  a  severe  disposition 
and  highly-polished  manners,  he  would  spare  me  not  a 
whit  when  I  did  or  said  a  foolish  thing,  and  I  sometimes 
hated  him  for  his  harshness  in  pointing  out  and  ridiculing 
my  faults  and  lack  of  savoir  faire;  but,  however  mortified 
I  might  be  at  the  time,  reflection  soon  showed  me  that 
he  was  right,  and  I  would  set  about  to  reform.  I  had 
been  out  of  society  for  ten  years,  among  the  most  uncul- 
tured, and  it  was  no  wonder  if  I  had  absorbed  much  to 
be  eradicated.  We  were  much  together,  even  shipmates 
afterwards,  until  he  was  summoned  home  by  his  friend, 

212 


IN    BUFFALO    IN    1842 

King  Oscar,  when,  in  1844,  he  ascended  the  throne. 
Adlersparre's  history  was  romantic,  but,  of  course,  this 
is  not  the  place  for  it.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  after  leaving 
the  military  academy  he  officiated  two  years  at  court  as 
page  to  the  crown  princess;  then  taking  French  leave  of 
the  court,  sailed  in  a  merchantman  for  the  south  of 
France,  when  he  parted  with  his  uniforms,  donned  a 
common  French  seaman's  rig,  made  several  voyages 
before  the  mast  in  French  ships,  arrived  at  Toulon, 
shipped  in  the  "  Cyenne  "  American  sloop  of  war,  under 
Captain  Percival,  was  recognized  as  a  gentleman  by  that 
officer,  and  to  him  gave  his  real  name,  and  confessed  that 
he  was  an  officer  in  the  Swedish  navy.  Percival  was  re- 
lieved, and  went  home  without  betraying  his  friend,  who 
remained  till  the  end  of  the  cruise  as  a  common  sailor. 
After  his  discharge  in  Boston  he  again  met  Percival,  who 
made  much  of  him  and  invited  him  to  dine,  appointing 
a  noon  dinner  hour.  It  was  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
my  friend  that  all  the  time  he  was  in  this  country  he 
wore  a  common  sailor's  blue  jacket,  with  the  white  shirt 
collar  open  and  spread  over  the  collar  on  the  jacket.  In 
this  guise  he  appeared  at  Commodore  Percival's  house 
on  the  day  and  at  the  hour  appointed.  The  commodore 
had  not  yet  arrived,  but  when  he  came  his  first  question 
to  his  wife  was :  "  Has  a  gentleman  I  invited  to  dinner 
arrived?"  "No,"  she  replied;  "he  has  not."  "That's 
strange,  for  he  is  a  very  prompt  man."  "  By  the  way," 
his  wife  broke  in,  "  there  is  a  sailor  in  the  kitchen  wait- 
ing to  see  you."  "  The  devil  there  is,"  was  his  reply. 
"  That's  the  gentleman  I  invited,  and  he  is  a  nobleman 
of  high  standing  in  Sweden,  and  an  officer  in  their  navy !" 
Of  course,  due  apology  was  made,  but  my  friend  hastened 
to  say  that  Mrs.  Percival  was  perfectly  justifiable  in 
making  him  wait  in  the  kitchen  in  the  dress  he  wore. 

He  was  suddenly  called  home,  as  before  stated,  his 
address  having  been  discovered  by  letters  written  to  his 

213 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

sister,  wherein  he  had  mentioned  Captain  Percival,  and, 
as  he  had  informed  the  latter  of  his  intention  to  make 
Buffalo  his  home,  the  Swedish  consul  was  able  to  trace 
him  there.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1844  that  we  were 
together  on  board  a  schooner,  waiting  for  favorable 
weather  to  sail  for  Chicago,  when  I  went  to  the  post- 
office  for  letters,  and  was  informed  that  there  was  one 
for  him  to  be  delivered  in  person.  I  came  and  informed 
him  of  it,  and  when  he  came  back  to  the  vessel  he  said: 
"  I  must  go  home  at  once ;  I  cannot  stay ;  good-bye." 
The  next  day  he  went,  and,  though  I  had  one  letter 
from  him,  I  never  saw  him  again.  I  afterwards  learned 
that  he  was  made  commodore  of  the  navy  yard  at 
Carlscrona;  that  he  drew  upon  himself  a  good  deal  of 
hatred  in  trying  to  reform  the  navy;  that  during  the 
war  of  the  rebellion  here  he  commanded  a  Swedish  frigate 
on  our  coast;  that  he  afterwards  resigned,  became  a 
broker  or  banker  in  Stockholm,  represented  that  city  in 
the  lower  house,  on  the  democratic  side,  and  that  he  died 
in  1879,  just  the  year  before  I  arrived  in  Stockholm  with 
my  family.  A  curious  line  of  vicissitudes  in  a  man's 
life  —  son  of  the  governor  of  a  province,  naval  cadet, 
page  at  court,  runaway  youth,  common  sailor,  lieutenant, 
captain,  commodore,  banker,  and  radical  member  of  leg- 
islature ! 

My  meeting  with  Aldersparre,  as  before  stated,  took 
place  very  soon  after  my  arrival  in  Buffalo,  and  almost 
immediately  after  my  first  crude  attempts  at  art.  He 
showed  me  a  chart  that  he  had  made  of  Lake  Erie  from 
computations  of  distances  and  courses  of  those  who  then 
navigated  its  waters.  I  remember  it  was  a  model  of 
beauty  in  its  way,  as  his  education  in  the  military 
academy,  where  he  had  been  particularly  distinguished 
for  mathematical  advance,  had  eminently  fitted  him  for 
topographical  work.  Indeed,  it  was  oi^  map  making  in 
connection  with  the  United  States  survey  of  the  port  of 

214 


IN    BUFFALO    IN    1842 

Beirout  in  Syria  by  the  "  Cyenne  "  sloop-of-war  that  he 
had  been  mostly  employed  by  Captain  Percival.  I  be- 
lieve this~^ap  was  the  first  real  marine  chart  ever  made 
of  Lake  Erie.  The  United  States  topographical  survey 
had  not  then  been  completed,  if  indeed  it  had  really 
begun. 


215 


XIX 

'    SAILINGS   ON  THE   GREAT  LAKES 

I  WELL  remember  my  first  entrance  upon  the  fresh- 
water ocean.  It  was  a  hot  day  in  August  when  we 
left  the  lighthouse  behind,  with  a  pleasant  light 
wind  from  the  eastward.  The  schooner  in  which  I  had 
shipped  was  small  —  a  mere  toy  she  would  seem  in  these 
days.  Our  crew  consisted  of  four  before  the  mast  —  cap- 
tain, mate,  and  cook.  I  was  warm  and  thirsty,  but  could 
find  no  water-cask  or  butt,  and,  on  my  speaking  to  the 
cook  about  it,  he  told  me  if  I  wanted  a  drink  to  "  dip  up  a 
bucketful  from  'long  side."  This  was  the  first  time  that 
I  realized  that  we  were  actually  sailing  in  a  fluid  that 
my  previous  experience  had  taught  me  to  regard  as  the 
most  precious  thing  on  board  of  a  vessel  —  fresh  water ! 
I  got  my  water,  drank  my  fill,  and,  in  direct  violation  of 
my  conscience,  threw  the  rest  overboard! 

We  were  bound  to  Chicago  with  a  cargo  of  stoves 
and  salted  meats  —  pork,  beef,  etc.  Our  trip  had  nothing 
eventful,  as  the  weather  was  beautiful,  but  I  soon  saw 
that  I  was  the  only  real  sailor  on  board.  It  is  difficult 
to  realize,  even  for  one  who  was  on  the  spot,  that  Chicago 
then  was  so  insignificant  a  place.  A  few  wooden  ware- 
houses strung  along  the  creek  on  one  side,  a  slaughter- 
house on  the  other,  an  unpaved  street  running  in  a 
general  direction  of  the  water,  a  wooden  sidewalk  and 
one  brick  store,  a  small  two-story  affair  at  that;  the  old 
stockade  fort  with  the  lighthouse  near;  and  that  is  all  I 
can  remember  of  the  present  metropolis  of  the  West. 
After  discharging  cargo   we  took  in  a  load  of  wheat, 

216 


SAILINGS    ON    THE    GREAT    LAKES 

mostly  from  the  prairie  schooners,  as  the  great  covered 
wagons  were  called.  I  remember  wheat  was  thirty-seven 
cents  a  bushel  at  the  time,  and  fresh  beef  was  sold  for 
one  or  two  cents  per  pound.  Among  the  other 
vessels  in  port  was  the  "  Superior,"  a  full-rigged  ship, 
and  on  board  of  her  was  my  friend  of  the 
North  River  steamboat,  Charles  J.  Magill,  who  left 
her  to  join  our  schooner,  a  vacancy  having  in  some 
way  occurred.  This,  of  course,  was  very  gratifying  to 
me,  as  it  gave  me  the  right  kind  of  companionship, 
Magill  being  not  only  a  first-class  sailor,  but 
a  cultivated  gentleman.  His  birthplace  was  St.  Johns, 
Newfoundland,  and  he  was  well  connected,  even 
in  the  United  States.  We  became  firm  friends, 
and  our  intimacy  has  never  cooled,  even  though  our 
destinies  have,  for  more  than  fifty  years,  at  the  time 
of  this  writing,  kept  us  500  miles  apart,  he  hav- 
ing settled  in  Chicago,  where  he  still  lives,  in  honored 
retirement. 

After  arriving  in  Buffalo,  we  still  stuck  to  the  vessel, 
and,  late  in  October,  the  "  Savannah  "  was  again  on  her 
way  to  Chicago.  At  the  time  we  left  Buflfalo  the  Indian 
summer  had  just  set  in ;  light  winds  and  hazy  or  smoky> 
with  a  balmy  air,  very  charming  to  the  senses;  but  so 
thick  was  the  atmosphere  that  nothing  could  be  seen  a 
hundred  yards  off.  We  sailed  with  a  light  fair  wind,  till, 
by  our  reckoning,  we  thought  we  must  be  near  the  en- 
trance to  Detroit  River,  then  went  ashore  with  a  boat, 
seeing  a  faint  outline  of  land,  and  found  it  to  be  Point 
Pele  Island ;  thence  shaped  our  course  into  the  river,  and 
went  through  it  without  a  glimpse  of  Detroit,  sometimes 
being  guided  by  the  noises  from  the  shore,  through  Lake 
St.  Clair  and  up  the  St.  Clair  River,  hugging  the  Canada 
shore.  I  remember  it  was  Sunday  when  we  were  passing 
up;  the  shore  was  visible,  and  in  front  of  a  cosy  little 
cottage  eight  or  ten  nicely-dressed  girls  were  enjoying 

217 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

themselves  with  great  hilarity.  As  we  came  in  sight,. 
Magill,  who  was  reading  one  of  Maryatt's  novels 
("  Percival  Keene,"  if  I  remember  right),  out  of  pure  mis- 
chief made  to  them  the  Masonic  sign  recommended  in 
that  delightful  book  to  the  young  midshipman,  as  a  sure 
way  of  conciliating  the  first  lieutenant  if  he  should  be 
cross.  It  sent  the  whole  bevy  into  the  house  quicker 
than  a  flash,  and  I  could  have  cursed  my  friend  for  de- 
priving us  of  the  pleasure  of  the  sight  of  so  much  beauty. 
But,  then,  Magill  was  an  engaged  man! 

The  same  smoky  atmosphere  continued  all  the  way 
to  Chicago.  We  could  hear  the  voices  of  people  talking 
in  Mackinaw,  but  we  could  see  nothing.  It  became  neces- 
sary to  be  cautious  in  the  rather  intricate  navigation  of 
the  straits,  and,  on  one  occasion,  we  anchored  oflf  the 
Beaver  Islands  and  went  on  shore.  We  found  Indians 
encamped  there,  and  I  recollect  going  into  one  of  their 
wigwams  to  borrow  an  axe  to  cut  some  wood  with; 
when  I  brought  it  back  I  found  that  I  had  hit  it  against 
a  stone  and  dulled  the  edge.  The  old  woman  scowled 
fearfully  at  me,  and  looked  at  her  men  folks  in  a  way 
that  made  my  blood  cold,  but  one  of  my  shipmates  ad- 
vised me  to  offer  him  tobacco,  which  I  did,  and  he 
accepted  a  small  plug  with  a  grunt  of  satisfaction.  When 
we  left,  the  old  squaw  was  trying  to  sharpen  the  axe 
with  a  case-knife! 

Pursuing  our  voyage  through  the  same  smoky  atmos- 
phere, southward  along  and  near  the  Wisconsin  shore, 
we  could  hear  the  sound  of  the  waves  on  the  shingley 
beach,  and  one  delightful  Sunday  morning  the  church 
bells  of  Chicago  informed  us  that  we  were  off  the  port. 
We  soon  got  a  sight  of  the  lighthouse,  and  its  wooden 
pier,  and  before  noon  we  were  safely  moored  at  the  dock. 
Here  we  unloaded  our  cargo  of  stoves,  apples,  and  other 
provisions,  and  took  in  the  usual  load  of  wheat  for 
Buffalo.    My  only  commercial  venture  was  made  on  this 

218 


SAILINGS    ON    THE    GREAT    LAKES 

'voyage,  and  so  well  was  I  satisfied  with  the  result  that 
I  never  essayed  another.  While  we  (Magill  and  I)  were 
strolling  round  in  Buffalo  before  starting  on  this  trip,  we 
happened  to  come  in  front  of  what  was  then  called  Cheap 
John's  auction  store,  which  was  situated  at  the  junction 
of  Main  and  Commercial  streets,  or  rather  on  the  Terrace 
between  the  two,  near  the  liberty  pole.  Spaulding's  Ex- 
change now  occupies  the  ground.  The  auctioneer  was 
eloquent  over  some  shining  cards  of  pen  and  pocket 
knives,  and  Magill,  turning  to  me,  said :  "  Let's  bid  on 
them  and  sell  them  when  we  get  to  Chicago;  we  can 
make  something  on  the  trade."  I  assented,  and  we  did 
bid,  our  investment  coming  to  about  $25  each.  When 
we  tried  to  sell  them  at  Chicago,  we  found  that  the  auc- 
tion room  there  was  our  only  hope.  As  I  remember,  it 
took  place  in  the  aforesaid  lonely  brick  store,  and,  by  the 
worst  luck,  on  a  stormy  night,  when  the  whipping  rain 
kept  every  decent  man  indoors.  The  result  was  that  the 
stuff  went  for  just  what  we  had  given  for  it,  and  we  had 
the  percentage  —  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent.,  I  forget  which  — 
to  pay  besides;  that  is,  it  was  deducted  from  the  gross 
sale.  We  charged  the  transaction  to  profit  and  loss, 
mostly  the  latter,  but  we  were  advised  to  try  to  recover 
it  by  investing  the  remainder  in  feathers  at  twenty-five 
cents  a  pound,  which  we  hoped  to  sell  at  considerable 
advance  when  we  should  get  home,  late  in  the  fall,  when 
the  weather  would  make  feather  beds  at  a  premium. 
Alas !  "  Man  proposes,"  etc.,  etc.  We,  as  the  sequel 
will  show,  never  got  to  Buffalo  with  our  goods  that 
year;  not  till  the  next  spring,  in  May,  did  they  get  there, 
and  then  what  was  the  good  of  live  geese  feathers  at 
the  approach  of  summer?  A  sale  was  forced,  however, 
and  I  managed  to  get  an  offer  of  twenty-five  cents  a 
pound,  which  I  concluded  to  accept,  supposing  I  would 
get  my  money  back,  but  here  is  where  my  failure  as  a 
merchant  came  to  be  patent.     I  had  bought  feathers  in 

219 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

heavy  sacks,  at  the  feather  price,  and  the  man  I  sold  to 
insisted  that  he  only  bought  what  was  in  the  bags. 
Something  was  mentioned  in  a  decided  way  about  "  tear 
and  tret "  to  justify  the  one-sided  transaction.  I  made 
up  my  mind  that  I  was  not  born  a  merchant,  and  from 
that  time  have  never  dealt  in  anything  but  real  estate, 
and  only  once  in  that.  If  this  is  ever  read  by  any  one,  he 
will  see  later  on  that  neither  were  deals  in  landed  prop- 
erty my  forte. 

We  left  Chicago  early  in  the  second  week  of  Novem- 
ber, the  weather  still  mild  and  favorable  for  a  deeply- 
laden  schooner  of  small  tonnage.  Besides  our  regular 
cargo  of  wheat,  we  had  stores  for  the  Bois  Blanc  light- 
house on  Lake  Huron,  whither  we  were  first  bound.  All 
went  well  till  we  had  passed  the  Manitou  Islands  and 
were  entering  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw,  when,  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  17th,  a  furious  gale  from  the  northeast  sprung 
up,  which  compelled  us  to  bear  up  for  shelter.  Running 
back  before  the  wind  we  soon  made  land  on  both  sides, 
but  quite  uncertain  whether  we  were  heading  into 
Traverse  Bay  or  the  strait  between  the  Manitou  Islands, 
our  hoped-for  refuge.  It  had  been  the  captain's  intention 
to  find  safety  in  the  bay  on  the  south  side  of  the  South 
Manitou,  by  going  round  its  southeastern  point,  but  in 
some  way  we  had  got  out  of  our  course,  so  that  we  were 
heading  for  the  open  water  between  the  two  islands.  It 
was  dark  when  the  error  was  discovered,  and  too  late 
to  be  remedied.  No  one  on  board  knew  if  there  was 
water  enough  to  sail  through  the  passage,  nor  if  any  ob- 
struction existed;  but  the  venture  must  be  made,  so  I 
took  the  lead  and  Magill  the  helm.  We  found  clear  sail- 
ing with  an  average  of  seven  fathoms  of  water,  and  by 
6  o'clock  were  safely  sheltered  from  the  storm.  I  had 
the  first  watch ;  the  wind  continued  to  blow  from  the 
northeast  till  8.30  o'clock,  when  it  suddenly  chopped 
round  to  S.S.W.,  with  a  blinding  snow  storm  and  piercing 

220 


SAILINGS    ON    THE    GREAT    LAKES 

cold.  As  the  vessel  lay,  she  was  hardly  sheltered  from 
this  wind,  only  a  small  point  preventing  the  full  force 
of  its  violence.  Finding  the  anchor  drag,  I  stuck  out  a 
long  range  of  chain,  and  it  held.  Here  we  weathered  out 
the  severest  storm  I  have  ever  known  on  our  lakes.  We 
learned  afterwards  that  eighteen  vessels  were  lost  that 
night,  and  that  sixty  lives  had  been  sacrificed,  either  by 
drowning  or  by  being  frozen  to  death.  One  ship  alone, 
the  "  Milwaukee,"  which  went  ashore  at  Michigan  City, 
lost  nine  of  her  crew  in  the  latter  way  through  their 
inability  to  cut  the  cable,  which  prevented  the  stranded 
ship  from  drifting  onto  the  beach,  where  they  might  have 
been  saved. 

Like  nearly  all  of  our  lake  storms,  its  violence  was 
soon  spent,  but  it  was  more  than  a  week  before  we  dare 
venture  out  of  our  safe  harbor,  and  December  had  set  in 
before  we  arrived  at  Bois  Blanc  lighthouse  on  Lake 
Huron,  where  we  were  compelled  to  anchor,  as  we  had 
stores  to  deliver  there.  The  weather  at  the  time  was  cold, 
but  the  lake  seemed  to  be  sufficiently  composed  to  augur 
a  fair  passage  across  it.  As  we  were  not  sheltered  from 
storms,  we  made  what  haste  we  could  to  land  the  stores, 
and  soon  we  were  under  weigh  again  heading  our  course. 
This  was  in  the  forenoon ;  but  we  had  hardly  got  our  sails 
hoisted  before  the  fresh  breeze  became  a  gale,  and  we 
were  compelled  to  shorten  sails  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Any  one  who  has  not  been  in  a  blow  on  this  treacherous 
lake  can  hardly  imagine  how  quickly  the  sea  will  rise. 
Very  soon  after  starting,  the  head  of  the  jib  was  blown 
away  from  some  of  the  hanks,  and  I  was  sent  out  on 
the  bowsprit  to  seize  them  on  again.  To  facilitate  this, 
the  vessel  was  kept  before  the  wind  under  the  foresail, 
the  mainsail  not  having  yet  been  set,  as  it  was  thought 
best  to"  reef  it  first.  But  as  we  were  deeply  loaded  with 
wheat,  the  deck  not  being  more  than  a  foot  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  a  heavy  plunge  into  a  big  sea  sent  me, 

221 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

bowsprit,  jibboom,  jib  and  all,  under.  I  did  not  lose  my 
hold,  but  it  seemed  a  long  while  before  I  emerged,  and 
when  I  did  the  whole  sail  was  spread  out  like  a  mat 
over  the  guys,  and  before  I  could  get  any  of  it  in  hand 
the  whole  was  as  stiff  with  ice  as  a  plate  of  sheet  iron. 
There  was  no  one  to  assist  me;  the  only  other  man  who 
could  have  done  so  was  Magill,  and  he  was  at  the  helm. 
Nothing  could  be  done.  I  was  obliged  to  get  in  to  save 
my  life,  and  the  sail  was  left  to  gather  more  and  more 
ice  till  a  coating  five  or  six  inches  thick  enveloped  it.  We 
now  tried  to  reef  the  foresail,  for  by  this  time  it  was 
blowing  very  hard  and  the  sea  was  making  fast;  but 
we  found  it  impossible  to  haul  in  the  sheet,  as  the  block 
had  dipped  into  the  waves,  and  thick  ice  had  formed  both 
on  it  and  the  ropes. 

This  was  some  time  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon, 
and  now  there  was  nothing  left  for  us  to  do  but  to  steer 
before  the  wind  as  well  as  we  could  to  prevent  her 
broaching  to.  Still,  the  gale  was  not  yet  at  its  worst, 
but  we  had  hopes  that  it  might  moderate,  though  we  did 
pass  a  very  uncomfortable  night.  After  midnight  the 
weather  grew  worse.  It  began  to  blow  great  guns,  but 
by  careful  steering  we  managed  to  keep  afloat.  The  cap- 
tain was  in  his  berth,  sea-sick,  and  the  mate  had  burnt 
his  boots  by  the  stove  in  the  cabin,  so  that  neither  of 
them  showed  up  on  deck  till  morning,  when  the  former 
stuck  his  head  up  the  companion-way  to  inquire  how  we 
were  heading,  etc.  I  informed  him,  and  he  returned  to 
his  berth,  asking  us  to  do  the  best  we  could.  We  did  not 
get  the  full  force  of  the  sea  till  we  came  abreast  of 
Saginaw  Bay,  when  the  waves  became  terrible,  and  it 
required  the  utmost  care  to  keep  us  from  swamping. 

The  gale  continued  with  unabated  violence,  the  cold 
was  so  sharp  that  every  drop  of  water  that  came  on  the 
vessel,  or  its  rigging,  congealed  instantly,  and  a  strange 
sight  was  visible ;  the  whole  forward  part  of  the  schooner 

222 


SAILINGS    ON    THE    GREAT    LAKES 

being  seen  through  a  mass  of  clear  ice,  six  inches  thick, 
while  the  ratlins  in  the  fore-rigging  were  like  an  in- 
verted staircase,  a  sheet  of  ice  having  formed  from  each 
ratlin,  and  all  having  an  inward  slant  on  account  of  the 
direction  of  the  wind,  most  of  the  ice  having  formed  from 
the  spray  in  which  the  whole  forward  part  of  the  craft 
was  enveloped.  We  were  heading  for  the  Canada  shore ; 
but  where  and  how  we  would  land  was  a  question  none 
of  us  could  even  guess.  But  it  is  needless  to  describe 
the  night;  suffice  it  to  say,  it  was  as  bad  as  it  could  be. 
Magill  had  the  middle  watch,  and  when  I  came  on  deck 
at  4  o'clock  to  relieve  him,  his  advice  to  me  ran  some- 
thing in  this  way :  "  Old  boy,  as  near  as  I  can  guess  the 
course  and  distance,  we  ought  to  be  in  Canada  by  day- 
light; now  look  out  and  pick  out  as  soft  a  spot  as  you 
can  to  beach  her  on." 

Having  thus  delivered  himself,  he,  with  his  watch 
mate,  one  Washington  Something-of-no-account,  went 
to  their  berths  in  the  forecastle,  and  were  soon  fast  asleep. 
At  6  o'clock,  as  my  mate  came  to  relieve  me  at  the  helm, 
he  said:  "I  think  I  see  land;  isn't  that  treetops  I  see?" 
Of  course  it  was,  and  we  were  very  near,  but  by  good 
fortune  the  wind  had  hauled,  so  that  we  could  skirt  the 
shore,  then  about  five  miles  off,  as  the  returning  day 
soon  informed  us.  The  wind,  in  gradually  changing 
direction,  had  also  greatly  moderated,  so  that,  by  the 
assistance  of  the  cook,  we  were  enabled  to  hoist  the 
mainsail  and  the  flying-jib,  and  when  breakfast  was  ready 
and  the  watch  called  all  danger  was  passed,  and  the  vessel 
was  lying  her  course  nearly  parallel  to  the  shore,  which 
was  now  in  plain  sight.  Gradually  the  wind  veered  to 
the  northeast,  so  that  we  could  head  directly  for  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  During  the  day  we  contrived  to 
thaw  out  the  foresail,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  hoist  it,  but 
the  jib  remained  encased  in  a  thick  and  constantly- 
increasing  mass  of  ice.    Indeed,  so  great  was  the  accumu- 

223 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

lation  of  this  about  the  bows  and  forecastle  that  the  poor 
vessel  was  by  this  time  down  fully  eight  inches  by  the 
head. 

It  was  pitch  dark  in  the  evening  before  we  came  in 
sight  of  Fort  Gratiot  light,  and,  in  order  to  shape  our 
course  for  the  entrance  to  the  river,  it  was  found  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  jibe  the  foresail,  as  we  had  been 
going  for  some  time  wing  and  wing.  In  maneuvering  to 
set  the  foresail,  one  of  the  braces  of  the  square  top  sail 
had  got  foul  of  the  peak;  it  had  been  allowed  to  remain 
so,  but  now,  fearing  that  it  would  interfere  with  the 
proper  evolutions  necessary  in  changing  course,  the 
question  came  up:  How  was  it  to  be  cleared?  The  sea 
was  high,  the  wind  still  blew  fresh,  and  to  crawl  out  on 
the  gaff  over  the  side  of  the  schooner,  when  the  least  fault 
in  steering  would  have  suddenly  taken  the  sail  back  and 
sent  the  whole  thing  with  fearful  velocity  to  the  other 
side,  was  an  act  which  even  the  stoutest  sailor  would 
unwillingly  attempt.  Nevertheless,  the  necessity  existed, 
and  the  man  was  ready.  Magill  volunteered  to  go  out 
and  clear  the  brace,  if  I  would  go  to  the  helm,  which,  of 
course,  I  did.  "  Now,  my  boy,"  he  said,  "  look  out ; 
remember  my  life  is  in  your  hands."  I  bade  him  wait 
till  I  was  ready.  I  had  found  that  the  compass  was  not 
to  be  relied  on,  as  the  sea  pitched  the  little  craft  about 
like  a  wash-tub;  so,  taking  off  my  peajacket  and  oil- 
cloth, I  bared  my  neck,  so  that  I  could  feel  the  wind 
blowing  directly  upon  its  back,  then  told  him  to  go  ahead. 
It  was  not  a  long  job,  perhaps  not  more  than  ten  minutes, 
but  never  have  I  worked  so  hard  to  keep  a  ship's  head 
straight  before  me !  In  fact,  notwithstanding  the  cold  and 
the  wind,  perspiration  stood  on  my  forehead  till  the  task 
was  done,  and  my  friend  was  safely  on  the  deck.  Then 
we  luffed  a  little,  and  the  foresail  came  over  to  leeward, 
shaking  the  old  craft  to  her  very  keel.  We  soon  entered 
the  river,  anchored,  and  went  to  our  well-earned  bunks. 

224 


SAILINGS    ON    THE    GREAT    LAKES 

Next  morning,  at  8  o'clock,  we  were  turned  out,  and 
we  found  that  the  courage  of  our  officers  had  returned, 
and  with  rf  their  sense  of  importance.  As  we  had  passed 
through  a  very  fatiguing  forty-eight  hours,  we  were  a 
little  slower  than  usual  in  turning  out,  and  we  were 
rather  amused  than  irritated  by  the  "  Come !  Are  you 
going  to  turn  out  to-day?"  of  the  miserable  beings  whose 
lives  and  reputations  we  had  saved.  After  clearing  the 
windlass  of  ice  in  which  it  was  bedded,  so  that  we  could 
weigh  anchor,  we  passed  down  the  river  to  Newport, 
where  the  brother-in-law  of  the  captain  had  a  ship-yard, 
and  where  his  homestead  was.  Here  we  tied  up  the 
vessel,  having  learned  that  the  St.  Clair  flats  were  frozen 
over,  rendering  it  impossible  to  reach  Buffalo  for  winter 
quarters. 

It  was  decided  to  leave  Magill  in  charge  as  ship- 
keeper.  I  have  forgotten  to  state  that  our  cook,  whom 
we  shipped  in  Chicago,  was  a  Mormon  missionary,  who, 
according  to  his  own  statement,  was  bound  for  Palestine, 
having  been  ordered  there  by  his  superiors  to  convert 
the  Mohammedans  to  the  faith  of  the  church  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  This  strange  being  was  a  very  solid 
specimen  of  humanity;  no,  the  word  solid  is  hardly  the 
phrase,  for,  though  large,  he  was  a  pale,  phlegmatic  man, 
whose  heavy  motions  and  heavier  intellect  gave  small 
promise  of  physical  energy.  He  was  to  find  his  way  as 
best  he  could  to  his  destination,  without  scrip  and  staff, 
etc.  During  the  passage  I  had  many  talks  with  him  about 
the  book  of  Mormon,  which  he  carried  with  him,  and  of 
which  I  knew  not  then  the  history.  "  Suppose,"  said  I, 
"  you  get  to  Palestine ;  what  will  you  do  there  when  the 
only  language  you  know  is  English?"  His  answer  was 
a  quotation  from  the  New  Testament,  Mark  xvi.,  17:  "  In 
my  name  they  shall  cast  out  devils;  they  shall  speak 
with  tongues;  they  shall  take  up  serpents;  and  if  they 
drink  any  deadly  thing  it  shall  not  hurt  them." 

225 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

I  asked  if  he  really  believed  that  if  I  gave  him  a 
deadly  poison  in  his  drink  it  would  not  kill  him;  his 
answer  was :  "  If  I  do  not  know  it  it  will  not  hurt  me ;" 
and  he  actually  seemed  to  believe  what  he  said.  We  left 
him  at  Newport;  but  I  have  never  heard  what  became 
of  this  apostle  to  the  followers  of  Mohammed. 

When  the  vessel  was  laid  up,  and  all  were  ready, 
those  who  were  to  go  to  Buffalo  made  ready  to  cross 
the  river  to  Canada.  It  was  a  sharp,  cold  winter  morn- 
ing, when  all  had  donned  their  heavy  wraps  to  commence 
the  journey.  As  for  myself,  I  had  managed  to  put  all 
my  wearing  apparel  on  my  back,  so  that,  in  addition  to 
two  or  three  flannel  shirts,  and  a  corresponding  number 
of  drawers,  trousers,  peajackets,  etc.,  I  wore  over  all  an 
oilskin,  and  on  my  head  an  oil  cap  made  for  stage  drivers, 
besides  a  pair  of  thrummed  mittens  on  my  hands.  While 
the  rest  were  getting  ready  I  happened  to  think  of  some- 
thing I  had  left  on  board.  I  walked  down  to  the  dock, 
and  from  the  jib-boom,  which  projected  on  to  the  dock, 
climbed  on  board,  but,  on  returning,  what  with  my  heavy 
clumsy  boots  and  my  great  mittens,  I  slipped  on  the 
foot-ropes  and  fell  in.  It  was  a  bad  time  to  take  that 
cold  bath,  but  I  leisurely  swam  to  the  shore,  and,  as  I 
emerged,  met  my  friends  coming  down  to  embark.  Of 
course,  we  had  to  go  back  to  the  tavern,  where  I  had  to 
borrow  some  dry  things  from  the  others,  but  so  great  was 
the  mass  of  clothes  I  had  on  that  none  of  my  underwear 
had  become  wet! 

In  due  time  we  made  a  fresh  start.  Arriving  in 
Canada,  a  sledge  with  a  pair  of  horses  was  hired  for  one 
day's  journey.  It  was  a  common  box  sledge,  and  we 
were  seated  on  boards  laid  across.  The  load  consisted 
of  the  late  E.  Ward  of  Detroit,  then  a  tall  young  man,  the 
captain,  mate,  and  three  of  the  crew,  six  in  all.  I  remem- 
ber the  trip  as  very  pleasant.  Mr.  Ward  told  some  very 
romantic  stories  of  his  warfare  against  the  horse  thieves 

226 


SAILINGS    ON    THE    GREAT    LAKES 

and  robber  gangs  of  the  county;  how  he  had  even  hired 
a  man  to  join  their  lodge,  to  find  out  their  secret  doings, 
going  even^  so  far  as  to  furnish  the  means  of  blowing  up 
his  own  house,  precaution  being  taken  to  catch  the  evil 
doers  in  the  very  act.  In  this  he  did  not  succeed,  but  the 
information  which  by  this  means  he  obtained  proved 
valuable  afterwards. 

I  think  we  were  five  days  on  the  road,  stopping  for 
the  night  in  various  towns,  and  always  in  very  comfort- 
able quarters.  At  least,  my  companion  and  myself  were 
invariably  well  quartered,  the  hotel-keepers,  for  some 
reason,  either  because  they  took  us  for  the  principals  of 
the  party,  or,  what  is  more  likely,  those  men  treated  them 
less  politely,  they  generally  gave  us  the  best  bedroom. 
On  one  occasion  —  I  think  it  was  in  Chatham  —  my  chum 
and  I  were  given  the  parlor  bedroom,  with  silk  and  eider- 
down coverlets,  while  the  captain  and  others  of  the  party 
had  to  be  content  with  indifferent  beds  in  cold  rooms  in 
the  attic,  as  we  afterwards  learned  when  comparing  notes 
the  next  day. 

It  was  a  few  days  before  Christmas  that  we  arrived 
in  Buffalo,  where  I,  as  soon  as  possible,  resumed  my  art 
studies  in  my  old  garret  room. 


227 


EXPERIMENTS  IN  HTPNOTISM 

ALTHOUGH,  during  my  life  on  the  ocean,  I  had 
been  deeply  impressed  with  religious  ideas  they 
L  had  not  seriously  affected  my  moral  conduct. 
By  nature  prone  to  believe  in  the  unseen,  to  which  the 
awful  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  ocean  and  the  sideral 
heavens,  so  familiar  to  me  in  my  lonely  night-watches, 
added  their  influence,  by  education  and  motherly  care 
imbued  with  the  teachings  of  orthodox  Christianity,  I 
was  painfully  conscious  that  all  these  teachings  and  im- 
pressions had  little,  if  any,  effect  on  my  life  or  moral 
conduct.  My  conscience  was  a  Damocles  sword  that 
never  ceased  to  threaten. 

The  natural  sequence  of  my  acquaintance  with  those 
interested  in  the  Bethel  Society  was  to  become  a  regular 
attendant  at  the  services  of  the  Bethel  Church,  an  un- 
ostentatious building  on  Perry  Street,  near  Burwell  Place, 
since  used  for  manufacturing  purposes.  I  was  told  by 
my  new  friends  that  it  was  wholly  non-sectarian,  a  thing 
that  to  me  spoke  greatly  in  its  favor,  for  in  my  juxtaposi- 
tion with  men,  as  well  as  by  my  reading,  I  had  acquired 
a  strong  antipathy  to  sectarianism,  believing,  in  my 
ignorance,  in  the  possibility  of  a  real  catholic  or  universal 
church  resting  on  the  simple  teachings  of  Christ  as  I 
understood  them,  and  here  was  the  ideal  of  my  hopes. 
Though  I  soon  discovered  that  my  Utopian  church  was 
nothing  more  or  less  than  Presbyterian,  pure  and  simple, 
in  form  and  doctrine,  I  found  in  the  good  pastor  and  his 
excellent  family  such  a  friendly  reception  that  I  never 

228 


EXPERIMENTS     IN     HYPNOTISM 

gave  the  theological  dictrines  a  thought.  Then,  too,  I 
was  immediately  received  as  a  friend  by  the  youthful  part 
of  the  congregation,  and  thus  began  an  intimacy  with 
some  of  the  best  young  men  of  my  own  age  who,  from 
the  older  and  more  established  churches,  had  come  to 
help  along  the  enterprise  for  the  sailors'  benefit.  All  are 
now  goiae  to  their  reward  and  I  am  left  alone,  but  their 
memory  is  sweet  to  me,  and  some  of  their  names  will 
necessarily  appear  as  I  proceed  with  my  story. 

The  winter  of  1842-3  was  one  of  great  religious  move- 
ment in  Buffalo,  above  all  among  the  Methodists.  "  The 
Old  Stone  Church,"  on  Niagara  Street,  afterwards  sold 
to  become  a  Jewish  synagogue,  and  later  demolished  to 
give  place  to  the  Masonic  Hall,  was  daily  filled  to  over- 
flowing, to  worship  and  listen  to  the  indefatigable 
eloquence  of  Mr.  Woodruff  and  his  zealous  wife,  whose 
gift  at  extempore  prayer  was  such  as  to  attract  not  only 
the  anxious  inquirer  but  even  the  admiration  of  cultured 
and  critical  ears.  I  often  went  there  with  my  friend 
Adlersparre,  who  was  deeply  impressed  with  her  suppli- 
catory eloquence.  Although  he  did  not  join  the  church, 
his  interest  was  so  great  that  he  requested  me  to  paint  a 
picture  of  the  building  to  take  home  with  him.  This  I  did ; 
in  return  for  which  he  gave  me  a  Bible,  which  I  still  pos- 
sess. I  may  add  that  the  view  was  from  the  empty  lot  on 
the  opposite  side,  which  used  to  be  called  Hart's  Garden, 
an  open-air  resort  where  circuses  were  wont  to  exhibit. 

My  friend  Adlersparre  had  found  a  private  boarding- 
house,  kept  by  a  very  nice  person,  a  young  widow  who 
lived  in  a  small  house,  where  she  eked  out  her  limited 
means  by  boarding  a  few  of  the  better  class  of  sailors. 
I  was  a  frequent  visitor  there,  and  one  evening,  by  unani- 
mous consent,  those  present  agreed  to  go  and  hear  a 
lecture  on  animal  magnetism  (as  hypnotism  was  then 
called)  by  one  Collier,  a  self-styled  professor.  I  have  no 
recollection  of  the  lecture,  but  the  experiments  were  suc- 

229 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

cessful,  and  to  my  fallow  mind  they  seemed  wonderful. 
The  subject,  new  to  the  rest  of  us,  was  not  so  to  Adler- 
sparre,  who  was  familiar  with  its  history  in  Europe.  He 
was  skeptical,  however,  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the 
phenomena,  though  evidently  interested  in  the  evening's 
performance.  In  talking  over  what  we  had  seen,  after 
we  got  home,  I  proposed  to  try  an  experiment  on  the 
landlady  by  putting  into  practice  some  instructions 
given  by  the  lecturer,  to  which  she,  in  a  spirit  of  fun, 
consented.  The  result  astonished  us  all,  and  most  so 
myself,  when  I  found  that  in  a  few  minutes  she  was 
losing  consciousness.  I  was  frightened,  and  for  the  time 
desisted.  On  a  subsequent  evening  the  experiment  was 
repeated,  with  the  result  that  in  less  than  ten  minutes 
she  was  completely  asleep  and  void  of  sensation.  Since 
the  last  experiment,  I  had  read  up  on  the  subject  and  was 
prepared  for  more  intelligent  investigation. 

I  may  say  that  the  air  of  Buffalo  at  this  time  seemed 
to  be  full  of  the  subject  of  animal  magnetism,  though 
condemned  and  ridiculed  by  most  of  the  medical 
fraternity  as  unscientific  charlatanry;  and  even  now, 
though  after  a  half  century  of  obloquy,  it  has  forced  itself 
into  the  category  of  obscure  phenomena  of  nature;  yea, 
even  under  its  new  name  of  hypnotism,  been  received  into 
the  honorable  list  of  auxiliaries  in  treatment  of  diseases ; 
the  scientific  intelligence  of  its  advocates  is  called  in 
question  by  those  who  hesitate  to  admit  as  science  what 
savors  of  mystery;  and  yet  the  most  potent  agents  of 
Nature  are  not  more  patent  to  our  senses.  I  have  heard 
a  learned  specialist  in  nervous  affections,  who  makes  use 
of  hypnotism  in  his  practice,  assert  that  there  is  no  differ- 
ence between  hypnotism  and  ordinary  sleep,  and  I  believe 
it  is  the  opinion  of  medical  practitioners  that  the  mind 
of  the  operator  has  little,  if  any,  part  in  the  result  beyond 
the  leading  suggestion.  This  may  or  may  not  be  true; 
but  does  it  not  even  then  leave  the  phenomena  of  effects 

230 


EXPERIMENTS     IN     HYPNOTISM 

unexplained?  How  much  more  so  when  nothing  but 
questions  are  oral,  and  these  free  from  everything  leading 
to  the  answer  expected? 

Having  learned  that  hypnotic  subjects  might  be  made 
to  speak,  on  one  occasion  I  asked  the  following  ques- 
tion: "  Will  you  tell  me  what  you  see?"  In  my  imagina- 
tion, my  little  studio,  with  its  odds  and  ends,  stood  before 
me.  The  answer  was  a  correct  description  of 
what  was  in  my  mind.  Other  questions  of  the  same 
kind  were  equally  correctly  responded  to.  This  was 
satisfactory  to  myself,  though  I  could  not  expect  them 
to  be  so  to  the  others  present,  and  I  was  particularly 
anxious  to  satisfy  my  friend,  Mr.  Adlersparre.  I  had 
read  that  communication  might  be  established  between 
others  than  the  operator;  that  the  rapport,  as  the  term 
was,  could  be  transferred.  Acting  on  this,  I  took  Adler- 
sparre's  hand  and  joined  it  to  that  of  the  lady,  strongly 
willing  that  my  power  should  be  transferred  to  him,  and 
that  she  would  answer  his  questions.  The  experiment 
succeeded,  and  she  ceased  to  respond  to  my  questions, 
while  she  answered  his  freely.  This  gentleman,  as  will 
be  remembered,  had  been  in  youth  a  page  to  the  crown 
princess  of  Sweden,  and  as  such  was  familiar  with  every, 
room  in  the  palace  at  Stockholm,  and  to  the  questions 
of  what  she  saw  she  gave  what  he  declared  to  be  correct 
answers,  even  to  the  minutiae  of  pictures  on  the  walls, 
tapestries,  curtains,  etc.  I  well  remember  his  exclama- 
tion at  the  end,  "  Well,  I  am  convinced !" 

I  cannot  now  recall  the  numerous  experiments  on 
this  lady;  suffice  it  that  they  were  often  repeated,  and 
that  she  became  so  sensitive  at  last  that  she  felt  my 
influence  when  she  could  not  have  known  that  I  was  in 
the  house.  In  fact,  I  had  read  that  a  person  might  be 
so  aflFected,  and  the  next  time  I  went  in  (it  was  soon 
after  breakfast)  I  entered  the  house  without  ringing  the 
bell,    as    is    still    quite    customary    in    boarding-houses, 

231 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

stepped  into  the  front  room,  the  dining-room  and  kitchen 
being  just  beyond.  Here  I  tried  to  make  my  power 
over  her  felt  by  strongly  willing  that  she  should  sleep. 
I  did  not  know  in  what  part  of  the  house  she  was,  but 
almost  immediately  I  heard  her  cry  out  from  the  kitchen : 
"  O !  Mr.  Lawrence,  please  stop ;  I  cannot  go  to  sleep 
now!"  She  afterwards  told  me  that  a  dish  she  was 
wiping  dropped  out  of  her  hands,  so  strong  was  my  in- 
fluence over  her. 

As  before  stated,  animal  magnetism  was  in  the  air. 
I  had  become  known  as  a  somewhat  successful  "  mag- 
netizer,"  and  was  frequently  asked  to  try  this  or  that 
one  as  we  met  in  evening  circles,  or,  indeed,  at  all  times. 
I  had  already  tried  my  power  on  Mrs.  Black,  my  land- 
lord's estimable  wife,  and  with  success,  though  the  ex- 
periment went  no  farther  than  to  produce  sleep  and  in- 
sensibility. I  suppose  it  was  on  that  account  that 
Captain  Black  one  day,  when  I  came  in,  introduced  me 
to  a  young  lady  who,  with  some  member  of  her  family, 
was  in  the  house  on  a  visit.  She  was  a  young  English 
girl,  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  the  daughter  of  a 
respectable  Wiltshire  farmer  who  lived  near  the  Eighteen 
Mile  Creek  bridge  in  the  town  of  Hamburg,  Erie  County. 
They  were  a  most  simple-hearted,  pious  family,  as  I  after- 
wards found  on  visiting  them  at  their  home.     After  an 

introduction,  I  was  asked  to  magnetize  Miss  B .    She 

having  assented,  I  began,  and,  after  laboring  for  an  hour 
and  a  half,  the  mental  exertion  I  was  making  to  steady 
my  will  bringing  the  perspiration  in  a  stream  down  my 
face,  I  succeeded  in  producing  a  complete  magnetic,  or, 
if  you  will,  hypnotic  sleep,  rendering  her  utterly  insensi- 
tive to  any  pain  we  could,  without  injury,  inflict  upon  her 
delicate  frame.  After  experimenting  in  various  ways, 
and,  finding  that  she  would  talk  and  answer  questions 
when  put  by  me  (to  all  others  she  seemed  to  be  wholly 
deaf),  I  tried  an  experiment  I  had  somewhere  heard  of, 

232 


EXPERIMENTS     IN     HYPNOTISM 

viz.,  the  sympathy  of  taste.  To  this  end  I  stepped  into 
another  room,  and  various  eatables  and  condiments  were 
given  me  in^secret  by  Captain  Black.  When  I  returned 
to  the  room  I  took  something  in  my  mouth,  and,  tasting 
it,  asked  her  what  I  was  eating.  She,  being  blindfolded 
and  the  length  of  the  room  between  us,  invariably  gave 
the  correct  answers.  I  then  took  some  tobacco  in  my 
mouth,  on  which  she  showed  great  disgust,  saying  in  a 
commanding  tone,  "Spit  it  out!"  Of  course,  we  were 
all  astonished,  and  for  my  own  part  I  have  not  yet  seen 
any  explanation  of  this  phenomenon,  although  it  was  one 
of  the  simplest  of  our  experiments. 

I  then  resolved  to  try  to  make  her  travel  with  me. 
I  said:  "Will  you  take  a  journey  with  me?"  She 
assented.  I  imagined  myself  going  to  Europe  by  way 
of  New  York.  Of  course,  not  a  word  was  spoken  as  to 
where  we  would  go.  Suddenly  I  asked  the  question: 
"  Where  are  we  now?"  "  We  are  in  a  big  city,  and  I  see 
lots  of  ships,"  was  the  answer.  "Where  now?"  I 
thought  of  a  packet  ship;  there  were  few  steamers  in 
those  days.  In  answer  to  my  questions,  she  went  on  to 
describe  the  imagery  of  my  mind,  though  one  of  her 
assertions  astonished  me.  She  said  she  saw  a  cow  on 
board.  Now  cows  were  not  uncommon  on  those  voyages, 
but  I  was  wholly  unconscious  of  having  thought  of  one. 
Possibly  the  image  was  latent  in  my  brain.  The  answer 
to  my  next  query  was  that  we  were  in  a  small  town.  I 
had  imagined  Sundsvall,  my  native  city,  with  its  one 
long  street  and  wooden  houses.  I  then  imagined  myself 
before  my  mother's  house.  It  had  once  been  painted 
light  green,  but  was  then  very  much  faded,  as  I  knew, 
having  been  there  but  a  few  years  before.  "  What  kind 
of  a  house  is  this  ?"  I  asked.  "  I  don't  know,"  she  said ; 
"it  appears  to  be  a  frame  house."  "What  color?"  "I 
can't  see ;  it  looks  gray."  "  Well,  let  us  go  in.  What 
do  you  see?"    "I  see  a  lady  doing  something;  I  cannot 

233 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

tell  what."  "What  does  she  look  like?"  She  described 
my  mother.  At  that  time  my  mother,  having  been  re- 
duced to  the  necessity  of  earning  her  livelihood,  had  be- 
come a  manufacturer  of  candies  and  comfitures,  and  kept 
a  shop.  By  and  by  I  asked  another  question :  "  What 
do  you  see?"    "  I  see  an  old  lady  playing  with  candy." 

Now  I  may  as  well  state  right  here  that  at  this  time 
I  did  not  think  much  about  the  philosophy  of  mesmer- 
ism. I  was  only  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  quite 
unlearned  on  scientific  subjects.  I  more  than  half 
believed  in  clairvoyance,  and  that  these  descriptions 
were  more  those  of  the  actual,  seen  by  the  spirit  of  the 
girl,  than  the  reflexes  of  my  own  imaginings,  which  I  now 
think  them.  Still,  the  mystery  is  not  lessened.  Suppose 
the  hypnotic  was  diseased,  hysteric,  a  fool,  a  maniac,  or 
anything  you  will ;  how  does  that  explain  that  my  inmost 
thoughts  or  imaginings  could  be  read  and  told  to  others? 

Well,  our  journey  being  ended,  in  imagination,  of 
course,  I  suggested  that  we  return.  Just  then  Captain 
Black  called  me  into  another  room,  and  whispered  into 
my  ear :  "  Take  her  to  my  house."  This  was  in  Evans, 
only  a  few  rods  from  her  home.  I  then  asked :  "  Where 
are  we  now?"  ''We  are  on  Main  Street,"  was  the 
answer.  "Where  now?"  "On  the  bridge"  (Eighteen 
Mile  Creek  bridge  was  in  my  mind).  By  this  time  she 
seemed  fatigued,  and  the  answer  to  my  next  question  as 
to  our  whereabouts  was,  in  rather  a  tired  tone :  "  O,  you 
know  as  well  as  I  do."  I  had  found  that  to  get  good 
answers  to  simple  questions  it  was  necessary  to  plead 
ignorance  myself,  for  it  seemed  as  if  she  thought  me  with 
her  all  the  time,  so  I  said :  "  My  eyes  are  dim ;  I  cannot 
see  well.  Will  you  not  tell  me?"  "Oh,  you  know  well 
enough,"  she  again  answered.  "  Tell  me  the  color  of  the 
house."  "  It's  white."  "  Now,  won't  you  please  tell  me 
whose  house  it  is?"  As  if  quite  out  of  patience,  and  in 
an  angry  tone,  she  almost  shouted,  "  Captain  Black's." 

234 


EXPERIMENTS     IN     HYPNOTISM 

"  Well,  I  declare/'  said  this  gentleman,  "  I  am  satisfied." 
I  then  woke  her  up  and  ended  the  seance. 

This  wasT:he  first  meeting  with  this  interesting  young 
woman,  but  not  the  last,  for  as  our  acquaintance  grew 
older  our  feelings  for  each  other  became  mutually  more 
and  more  tender,  and  it  was  not  long  before  I  thought  my- 
self very  deeply  in  love.  We  often  met  at  Captain  Black's 
house  in  Evans,  where  I  was  visiting  part  of  a  summer, 
and  when,  indeed,  I  tried  to  paint  a  portrait  of  her. 

One  evening  many  neighbors  were  invited  to  see  me 
magnetize  her,  among  whom  were  her  parents.  The 
previously  described  experiments  were  successfully  tried, 
and  even  some  new  to  all.  It  was  a  time  when  much 
was  written  on  the  subject,  and  I  always  tried  to  produce 
the  phenomena  thus  described.  Everybody  talked  about 
phrenology  in  those  days,  and  the  greatest  number  be- 
lieved in  it  as  a  science.  I  cannot  say  that  I  was  one  of 
this  number  myself.  I  knew  next  to  nothing  of  the  sub- 
ject, and,  though  interested  in  what  seemed  occult  and 
mysterious,  my  mind  was  and  has  always  been  of  a 
skeptical  turn,  requiring  absolute  personal  experience  to 
produce  belief  in  what  I  could  not  see  demonstrated  to 
the  senses.  Convinced,  as  I  had  been  forced  to  be,  by 
actual  practice,  that  in  some  mysterious  way  I  could  at 
least  cause  my  thoughts  to  be  read  and  described  by 
others,  and  that  physical  insensibility  to  pain  could  be 
produced  on  certain  persons,  that  sympathy  of  taste  and 
many  other  inexplicable  phenomena  might  be  exhibited 
by  what  was  then  called  animal  magnetism,  I  had  stopped 
short  of  a  belief  in  what  was  denominated  clairvoyance, 
at  least  that  sort  whereby  through  the  will-power  of 
the  operator  the  mind  of  the  subject  might  be  sent  on 
excursions  beyond  his  ken,  and,  although  I  had  had  some 
very  interesting  quasi  evidences  to  the  truth  of  this  claim 
in  my  own  experience,  yet  have  I  never  believed  that  such 
things  were  really  independent  second  sight,  but  that 

235 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  subject  in  some  way  felt,  or,  as  it  were,  read  impres- 
sions on  my  own  brain  not  for  the  moment  recollected 
by  myself,  as  we  know  that  things  apparently  forgotten 
often  come  back  to  our  memories  with  great  distinctness, 
even  after  years  have  passed. 

I  repeat  that  in  phrenology,  as  then  explained  or 
taught,  I  had  no  belief,  but  I  had  read  that  by  willing 
to  impress  certain  organs  curious  results  would  ensue, 
and  I,  therefore,  tried  experiments  in  this  direction.  I 
only  knew  in  a  very  general  way  the  location  of  these 
so-called  organs,  or  bumps,  and  I  think  now,  as  I  sus- 
pected then,  that  the  supposed  localities  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  results;  these  being,  I  think,  directly  from 
my  imagination,  superinduced  by  strong  will.  I  put 
my  hand  on  the  region  where  I  had  heard  that  the  organ 
of  reverence  lay,  and  willed  hard.  The  result  was  that 
my  subject  broke  out  into  singing  hymns  and  shouting, 
as  they  were  in  the  habit  of  doing  in  the  Methodist 
prayer  meetings  (her  family  were  Methodists).  This 
was  the  last  of  the  series  of  experiments,  which  had  con- 
tinued an  hour  and  a  half. 

I  had  also  read  that  the  mesmerized  person  might  be 
made  to  awake  at  any  hour  fixed  by  the  magnetizer,  and 
this  I  also  resolved  to  test  at  the  time.    Now  mark.  Miss 

B was  seated  with  her  back  to  the  clock  in  the  room. 

I  asked  her  to  awake  at  lo  o'clock  (it  lacked  about  ten 
minutes  of  it).  Naturally,  all  eyes  sought  the  face  of 
the  clock,  and,  strange  to  say,  precisely  as  the  hand  ap- 
proached the  hour,  and  before  the  clock  began  to  strike, 
her  eyes  opened.  Still,  she  was  not  fully  awake,  and 
wholly  unable  to  rise;  in  fact,  it  took  me  at  least  five 
minutes  before  I  could  get  her  to  stand,  and  then  she 
seemed  very  much  fatigued.  I  took  her  out  into  the 
evening  air,  and,  after  she  was  sufficiently  revived,  I 
inquired  how  she  felt.  She  said  that  she  was  perfectly 
happy,  and  felt  as  if  she  had  been  to  camp  meeting! 

236 


XXI 


EXPERIENCES  ABOARD  AND  ASHORE 


WHEN  I  returned  to  Buffalo,  I  found  the  vessel 
to  which  I  was  at  the  time  attached  gone,  with 
all  my  goods  and  chattels,  and  not  a  dollar  in 
my  pocket.  As  I  knew  that  her  destination  was  Cleve- 
land, this  gave  me  small  uneasiness,  and  I  soon  found 
another  vessel  thither  bound,  on  which  I  was  allowed 
to  work  my  passage. 

Arriving  at  Cleveland  I  found  my  vessel  already 
gone,  and  this  left  me  a  total  stranger  without  money ;  but 
empty  pockets  in  a  sailor's  life  is  too  common  a  state 
to  cause  anxiety;  so  I  took  out  my  sketch-book  and  a 
pencil  —  which  I  had  bought  for  the  few  cents  I  found 
in  my  pocket  —  and  resolved  to  pass  the  time  till  even- 
ing as  best  I  might.  I  was  not  hungry  and  shelter  was 
not  needed,  as  the  weather  was  warm  and  beautiful.  As 
I  remember,  what  is  now  Euclid  Avenue  was  then  a 
verdant  and  rather  picturesque  bit  of  nature,  command- 
ing a  lovely  view  of  the  lake,  and  here  I  spent  nearly  all 
the  afternoon  in  blissful  content.  Toward  evening,  how- 
ever, the  inner  man  began  to  grumble  and  I  went  down 
to  the  docks  hoping  to  find  employment  on  some  vessel. 
I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find  a  small  schooner  in  want  of 
a  man,  but  I  had  to  wait  till  morning,  as  the  captain 
was  not  on  board.  My  informer  was  a  big  Irishman, 
who,  as  I  turned  to  go,  called  me  back.  "  I  say,  have 
you  got  any  money?"  "  No,"  I  replied,  "  but  that's  noth- 
ing, as  I  shall  probably  get  a  berth  in  the  morning." 
"  Here  is  half  a  dollar,  shipmate ;  it  will  get  you  a  meal 

237 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and  lodgings.  If  you  ship  you  will  pay  me,  and  if  you 
don't  you  are  welcome  to  it  anyway."  I  need  not  say 
I  took  it  thankfully.  Next  day,  when  I  came  down,  I 
was  engaged  as  one  of  the  crew  of  the  schooner.  It  was 
the  "  Nicholas  Biddle,"  and  the  captain,  who  after- 
ward became  my  warm  friend  and  whose  portrait  I 
painted  after  I  had  retired  from  the  sea  and  become  a 
tolerably  successful  painter,  was  the  well-known  and 
highly  respected  Thomas  Perkins. 

I  made  many  trips  in  this  vessel  between  Buffalo  and 
Cleveland,  generally  in  ballast  from  the  former  place,  our 
down  freight  being  flour  and  wheat,  the  latter  being 
poured  in  bulk  over  the  flour  barrels  after  they  were 
properly  stowed  so  that  they  filled  the  hold.  The  wheat, 
acting  as  a  fluid,  of  course  filled  all  the  space  between 
the  barrels.  I  remember  this  because  of  a  curious  acci- 
dent thence  resulting  to  myself,  when  we  began  the  work 
of  discharging.  It  required  a  good  deal  of  exertion  of 
strength  to  break  out  the  first  barrel  out  of  the  wheat. 
This  was  done  by  catching  hold  of  the  farther  chine  with 
a  cotton  hook  and  thus  ending-up  the  barrel.  I  had  a 
good  hold,  and,  although  putting  forth  all  my  strength, 
at  first  the  effort  seemed  to  have  no  effect,  until  the 
wheat  began  to  run  into  the  small  space  my  exertion 
had  made  under  the  barrel,  when  up  it  came  so  suddenly 
that  the  hook  slipped  off,  and  my  clenched  fist  struck 
me  between  the  eyes  and  knocked  me  insensible.  It  was 
the  only  time  I  have  ever  been  knocked  down,  the  only 
time  I  ever  lost  consciousness. 

My  friend  Adlersparre  had  continued  to  board  with 
Mrs.  Q ,  and  seemed  to  have  formed  a  sincere  friend- 
ship for  her,  which  I  have  no  reason  to  believe  to  be 
other  than  purely  platonic.  Her  means  were  slender,  and 
I  suspect  it  was  all  she  could  do  to  get  along.  Whatever 
the  reason,  she  decided  to  contract  a  second  marriage; 
this  time  to  a  Canadian  Irishman  whose  name  I  have  for- 

238 


EXPERIENCES  ABOARD  AND  ASHORE 

gotten.  She  very  soon  found  that  she  had  made  a  great 
mistake,  her  present  husband  turning  out  a  good-for- 
nothing  drunken  loafer,  who  wanted  nothing  but  her 
belongings  to  dispose  of  for  rum,  etc.  In  fact,  he  in- 
formed her  that  he  was  going  to  take  everything  away 
from  the  house,  as  by  law  it  was  his.  In  her  distress  she 
sought  help  from  her  sailor  friends,  and  we  thought  she 
had    better    see    a    lawyer.      We    fixed    upon    the    late 

B A ,     then     of     the     firm     of     A & 

L ,  in  the  old  Exchange  Building  on  Main  Street, 

below  Swan.  It  was  a  queer-looking  building,  the  iron 
stairs  that  led  up  to  the  law  office  being  at  the  back  of  a 
sort  of  recess  with  a  paved  area  to  the  street. 

We    found    Mr.    A and    stated    our    case,    or 

rather  the  case  of  our  friend.  He  said  the  man  had  the 
law  on  his  side,  but  that  it  would  be  hard  if  between  a 
lawyer  and  two  smart  sailors  we  couldn't  baffle  the 
scamp  and  save  the  woman's  goods  and  chattels;  only 
there  was  but  one  way  he  could  think  of,  and  that  was 
to  get  hold  of  the  stuff  and  hide  it  so  that  the  man 
couldn't  find  it;  but  whatever  was  done  must  be  done 
at  once.  "But  where  could  we  carry  it?"  Reflecting  a 
moment,  he  said :  "  If  you  can  get  it  here,  I  think  it  can 
be  stowed  away  in  an  empty  room  above  my  office." 
Gratified  with  our  success  so  far,  we  paid  what  money 
we  had  —  not  a  large  fee  —  I  think  it  did  not  amount  to 
five  dollars  —  and  immediately  set  about  our  work.  This 
was  early  in  the  day,  and  before  noon  we  had  all  the  bed- 
steads, bedding,  chairs,  tables,  everything,  snugly 
bestowed  in  a  low  sort  of  garret  right  under  the  roof,  and 
so  intricate  was  the  way  thither  that  we  felt  certain  that 
everything  would  be  safe. 

No  sooner  was  everything  made  shipshape,  as  we 
thought,  when  a  new  difficulty  arose.  Even  while  in  the 
office  to  make  my  report  the  irate  husband  appeared.  As 
I  was  only  an  occasional  visitor  at  the  house,  my  personal 

239 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

appearance  was  unknown  to  him,  and  I  was  thus,  as  a 
stranger,  permitted  to  witness  what  took  place.  With 
his  face  purple  with  rage,  he  suddenly  burst  into  the 
office,  and  in  an  angry  voice  addressed  the  astute  man 
of  law,  who  stood  facing  his  table,  from  which  he  had 
just    snatched    up    a    bundle    of    documents,    which    he 

seemed    to    be    examining.      "  Mr.    A ,    I    want    my 

furniture."     Calmly  turning  from  his  paper  to  look  at 

the  intruder,  with  a  surprised  stare,  Mr.  A asked 

him  to  state  his  business.  "  I  tell  you  I  want  my  things, 
and  I'll  have  them."  "What  are  you  talking  about? 
What  things  ?"  "  Oh,  you  know  well  enough  that  my 
furniture  has  been  stolen  from  my  house  and  taken  into 
this  building,"  "  Why,  man,  you  must  be  drunk ;  what 
have  I  got  to  do  with  your  furniture?" 

On  finding  that  he  could  get  no  satisfaction  from  Mr. 

A ,    though    he    claimed    that    a    friend    of    his    had 

seen  the  goods  carried  there,  he  left,  threatening  all  sorts 
of  vengeance.    Early  in  the  afternoon  I  was  sent  for,  and 

when    I    arrived    Mr.    A said :    "  You    heard    what 

the  fellow  said,  and  I  have  been  thinking  it  over.  He 
may  get  out  a  search  warrant,  and,  though  the  things 
are  really  not  on  my  premises,  being  in  the  attic,  which 
does  not  belong  to  me,  they  may  be  found,  and  your 
friend  may  lose  them.  It  is  too  late  to-day  to  get  a 
warrant,  but  he  may  to-morrow,  and  the  stuff  must  be 
got  out  of  the  building  to-night.  In  fact,"  he  said,  "  it 
must  be  stolen  and  hidden  somewhere  else.  I  must  think 
it  over.  Come  in  with  your  friend  in  a  couple  of  hours, 
and  we  will  see  what  can  be  done." 

When  we  appeared  again  he  had  formed  his  plan.    "  I 

have  arranged  with  my  friend  Mr.  M ,  who  has  a 

place  on  the  Central  Wharf,  to  allow  the  goods  to  be 
stored  in  his  warehouse."  "  All  right,  sir ;  what  shall  we 
do?"  Turning  to  me,  he  said:  "  Come  to  my  house  at  3 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning,  and  get  the  key  of  the  prem- 

240 


EXPERIENCES  ABOARD  AND  ASHORE 

ises.  You  must  have  a  man  with  a  cart  ready  near  by 
who  can  be  depended  on;  then  all  you  have  to  do  is  to 
commit  burglary,  get  everything  on  the  cart,  and  take 

your   load   to   Mr.    M 's   store."     We   agreed   to   do 

our  best,  though  for  myself  and  my  noble  friend  it  was 
new  business. 

At  the  appointed  hour  I  appeared  at  the  back  gate  of 

Mr.    A 's    residence    on    Washington    Street,    and 

there  I  found  the  learned  lawyer  dressed  and  ready  for 
the  street.  I  took  the  key,  and,  on  arriving  at  the  office, 
found  my  associates  ready  for  the  job.  As  there  were 
people  sleeping  in  the  building,  we  had  to  be  very 
cautious,  so,  taking  off  our  boots,  we  entered  in  our 
stocking  feet,  and,  as  we  knew  just  where  to  find  the 
plunder,  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  it  down  and  on  the 
cart.  But,  just  as  we  were  about  starting,  a  watchman 
awoke,   and,   coming   up,   asked   what   we   were   doing. 

I  pointed  to  Mr.  A ,  who  had  been  watching  the 

proceedings  from  across  the  street,  and  told  him  to  ask 
him.  He  seemed  to  have  been  satisfied,  for,  instead  of 
molesting  us,  he  took  his  way  in  the  opposite  direction 
from  where  we  were  bound.  At  the  foot  of  Main  Street 
we  unloaded  and  dismissed  the  cart,  and  when  it  was 
out  of  sight  we  carried  up  the  furniture,  and  by  4  o'clock 
all  was  snugly  stowed  under  a  lot  of  junk  and  sails  in 
the  loft  of  the  warehouse. 

My  studio  at  this  time  was  in  the  library  of  the  Bethel 
Church,  which,  as  it  was  never  used  except  on  Sunday 
for  the  Sunday  school,  my  worthy  pastor  allowed  me  to 
use.  Among  my  shipmates  I  had  found  a  devoted  friend ; 
he  was  a  Shetlander,  by  name  of  Williamson,  by  all  odds 
the  smartest,  most  intelligent,  and  daring  sailor  I  ever 
knew.  He  was  very  young  and  very  beautiful ;  indeed,  his 
manly  beauty  was  quite  remarkable.  His  good  nature 
was  inexhaustible,  and  in  my  studies  he  became  my  con- 
stant companion,  ready  as  model,  helper,  or  caretaker  of 

241 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

my  room.  I  painted  a  full-length  portrait  of  him  in  a 
group  of  two,  the  other  being  our  friend  Mr.  Taylor,  my 
idea  being  to  symbolize  in  this  way  the  benefit  of  religious 
instruction  to  the  seafarers.  The  greatest  difficulty  was, 
as  I  recall  the  circumstances,  to  give  my  picture  breadth 
of  color  and  chiaroscuro.  I  had  a  crude  notion  of  these 
qualities,  but  no  one  to  guide  me  to  the  simple  means 
by  which  the  results  could  be  effected.  I  would  drag  my 
big  canvas,  some  seven  or  eight  feet  high,  up  into  the 
church,  and  stand  it  in  or  near  the  pulpit,  then  go  off 
into  the  organ  loft  to  see  what  distance  would  do,  and 
this  was  what  I  found  —  the  farther  off,  the  more  crude 
and  patchy  it  looked !  What  would  I  not  have  given  for 
a  single  lesson! 

I  also  painted  here  a  forecastle  scene,  which  even  now 
hangs  in  my  studio.  It  is  in  the  feeling  of  Rembrandt, 
though  at  the  time  I  never  thought  of  that  great  painter, 
Raphael,  alone,  being  my  standard.  But  the  light  that 
comes  into  a  forecastle  must  needs  be  Rembrandtesque, 
and  I  cannot  now  look  on  that  picture  without  a  feeling 
of  grief  to  think  of  the  possibilities  that  are  in  its  treat- 
ment, had  I  not  been  compelled  to  turn  my  whole 
attention  to  portraiture.  Another  attempt  was  at  a  scene 
from  the  Bible,  Joseph  and  Potiphar's  wife.  Joseph  I 
painted  from  myself,  and  I  really  think  I  managed  fairly 
well  the  foreshortening  of  the  hands,  as  he  makes  a 
gesture  of  horror  at  the  attack  upon  him;  but,  as  I  had 
no  model  for  the  lady,  who  was  represented  semi-nude,  I 
was  compelled  to  evolve  her  out  of  my  inner  conscious- 
ness, and  all  who  have  tried  that  experience,  especially 
at  the  commencement  of  their  art  life,  must  know  how 
signally  I  failed.  I  did,  however,  succeed  in  shocking 
the  ladies  who  on  Sunday  morning  entered  the  library 
in  search  of  books. 

Some  time  during  the  spring  of  1844  I  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Charles  Bellows  and  his  lovely  wife 

342 


EXPERIENCES  ABOARD  AND  ASHORE 

and  sister-in-law,  Miss  Sarah  E.  Farrar.  Mr.  Bellows' 
family  consisted  of  himself,  his  wife  (born  Champney,  a 
cousin  of  the  artist,  B.  Champney),  and  two  children; 
Miss  Farrar,  half-sister  of  Mrs.  Bellows,  also  being  one 
of  the  family.  I  painted  all  five,  cabinet  size,  for  the 
nominal  price  of  $15,  the  actual  consideration  being 
a  gold  fob  chain  said  to  be  worth  $18,  but  which  I  parted 
with  for  a  silver  watch,  an  old  fashioned  "  bull's  eye," 
after  I  had  ascertained  that  the  utmost  I  could  sell  the 
chain  for  was  $7.  I  may  as  well  finish  this  story  by 
remarking  that  a  few  years  afterwards  I  pawned  it  in 
New  York  for  $1.50,  and  never  redeemed  it.  I  am  not 
sure  but  that  allowing  it  to  go  by  default  was  the  wisest 
transaction  of  the  whole. 

The  summer  of  this  year  was  spent  in  the  service  of 
the  government  in  a  topographical  survey  of  the  Great 
Lakes.  I  acted  as  coxswain  of  a  boat,  under  the  orders 
of  Lieutenant  Simpson  and  Lieutenant  Abert,  Captain 
Williams,  afterwards  killed  in  Mexico,  being  chief.  We 
surveyed  the  bay  and  river  mouth  at  Sandusky,  and  after- 
wards at  Maumee  Bay  and  Toledo.  This  was  the  year  of 
the  political  campaign  for  president.  Henry  Clay  and 
Frelinghuysen  had  already  been  nominated  by  the  Whigs,, 
if  I  remember  rightly.  The  Democrats  had  not  yet  per- 
fected their  nomination  while  we  were  at  Sandusky,  but 
the  people  were  expecting  the  news  every  day.  Of  course, 
this  was  before  the  days  of  the  telegraph,  and  much 
anxiety  was  felt.  Everybody  in  Sandusky  supposed  it 
would  be  Folk  and  Wright,  and  a  big  flag,  with  an  im- 
mense eagle  of  my  own  drawing,  was  all  ready  with  these 
names  in  biggest  kind  of  letters,  when  the  news  came  that 
it  was  Polk  and  Dallas.  "  Wright "  was  immediately 
ripped  out,  and  "  Dallas  "  put  in  place,  and  the  grand  ban- 
ner, destined  to  victory,  was  triumphantly  swung  to  the 
breeze ;  but  almost  everybody  about  seemed  to  be  inquir- 
ing who  the  devil  "  Dallas  "  was ! 

243 


XXII 

SAIL    FOR    HAVANA,  END    OF 
SAILOR    LIFE 

THE  companionship  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson, 
as  well  as  Mr.  Abert,  did  my  mind  and  heart 
good,  for  they  were  good  people,  but  my  body 
came  near  being  wrecked  by  the  river  miasma  in  which 
we  so  constantly  lived  and  breathed,  and,  though  we 
were  afterwards  ordered  to  Detroit,  I  could  not  remain, 
but  left  for  Buffalo,  whence,  by  a  doctor's  advice,  I  went 
to  New  York  to  take  a  sea  voyage.  Of  money  I  had  but 
little,  for  nearly  all  I  had  earned  during  the  summer  went 
for  debts  contracted  during  the  winter,  but  I  found  a 
captain  of  a  canal  boat  willing  to  take  me  to  Troy  if  I 
could  pay  m}^  board  during  the  trip.  For  this  he  charged 
me  $4,  and  this  I  paid  out  of  the  small  remainder  of  my 
summer's  work.  We  were  eleven  days  going  down,  and 
a  beautiful  trip  it  was. 

On  getting  to  New  York,  I,  by  some  means  that  I 
cannot  recall,  became  acquainted  with  a  Swede  by  the 
name  of  Swanson,  who  was  janitor  at  Clinton  Hall,  and 
with  whom  I  boarded  while  waiting  for  a  chance  to  ship. 
I  was  permitted  by  my  friend  to  occupy  a  small  ante- 
chamber in  the  building  while  copying  an  old  picture, 
which  one  of  the  members,  one  Mr.  Wood,  of  Canan- 
daigua,  I  think,  bought  of  me,  and  even  began  to  give  me 
sittings  for  a  portrait.  This,  however,  was  never  finished, 
mainly,  I  think,  because  he  soon  saw  that  I  was  not  far 
enough  advanced  in  art.  He  left  a  few  dollars  for  me, 
but  I  never  again  saw  him ;  and  it  was  not  long  after  that 

244 


SAIL   FOR  HAVANA,  END  OF  SAILOR  LIFE 

when  I  was  ignominiously  turned  out  of  my  improvised 
studio  by  some  of  the  officers  of  the  society. 

It  was  not  easy  to  get  a  ship,  since  I  did  not  board 
in  a  regular  sailor  boarding-house,  but  at  last  the  oppor- 
tunity came.  I  found  a  barque  going  to  Havana,  and,  as 
that  suited  me  well,  I  was  soon  installed  as  one  of  the 
crew.  It  is  curious  that  at  this  writing  I  can  neither 
recall  the  name  of  the  vessel  nor  that  of  her  captain.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  I  was  a  religious  man,  and  when 
I  found  that  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  ship's  articles 
was  that  "  No  profane  language  was  to  be  allowed  on 
board,"  I  flattered  myself  that  I  had  fallen  in  a  pleasant 
place,  but  I  was  soon  undeceived,  for  a  more  profane  man 
I  never  had  sailed  with ;  even  the  little  son,  who  with  his 
mother  was  on  board,  swore  like  a  trooper.  However,  I 
feared  nothing  for  myself,  as  I  knew  my  duty,  and  in- 
tended to  do  it.  My  health  was  soon  perfectly  restored, 
and  I  have  now  no  reason  to  regret  the  voyage,  as  my 
digestive  organs  have  run  smoothly  ever  since,  and  at 
this  writing  I  am  in  my  seventieth  year ! 

Our  passage  to  Havana,  and  stay  there,  was  without 
notable  incident,  at  least  so  far  as  I  was  concerned.  Some 
difficulties  and  hard  words,  and  even  blows,  had  passed 
between  the  officers  and  one  or  two  of  the  crew  —  mainly 
growing  out  of  the  ignorance  or  inefficiency  of  the  latter, 
but  no  open  insult  was  put  upon  me.  From  Havana  we 
sailed  for  Appalachicola,  Florida,  and  here  we  learned 
for  the  first  time  that  it  was  expected  that  we  should  take 
in  a  cargo  of  cotton  for  some  port  in  Europe.  On 
demurring  to  this,  we  were  told  that  we  were  shipped 
for  six  months,  and  so  indeed  we  were,  but  as  a  coasting 
craft.  I  had  carefully  read  the  articles  when  I  shipped, 
and  they  read :  "  In  for  Havana  and  thence  to  port  or 
ports  in  the  United  States  " ;  but  when  the  captain  pro- 
duced the  papers  to  show  us  that  we  were  bound,  I  found 
that  an  interpolation  had  taken  place,  "  and  out  of  "  hav- 

245 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

ing  been  inserted  in  the  copy  shown  us,  so  that  it  read 
"  thence  to  port  or  ports  in  and  out  of  the  United  States." 
I  told  the  captain  so,  and  he  was  pleased  to  call  me  a 
sea  lawyer,  etc.  As  none  of  us  could  endure  the  thought 
of  spending  four  months  more  in  this  vessel  under  such 
disagreeable  and  even  cruel  officers,  a  scheme  was  con- 
trived to  regain  our  liberty.  Two  of  the  men  indicted 
the  captain  for  ill-usage  and  illegal  shipment,  and  the 
rest  of  us  were  subpoenaed  as  witnesses.  On  the  trial  it 
was  found  that  these  men  and  two  others  had  a  strong 
case,  the  illegality  consisting  in  having  shipped  them 
without  giving  bonds,  and  for  which  he  was  liable  to  $400 
fine  in  each  case.    Thus  he  was  fain  to  let  them  go. 

Not  so  with  me;  I  could  neither  prove  cruelty  nor 
illegality;  the  interpolation  I  could  not  prove,  and  thus 
I  lost  my  case,  and  was  compelled  to  resume  my  duties 
on  board.  Thus  there  were  but  two  of  us  left  of  the 
whole  crew,  and,  as  the  vessel  lay  several  miles  out  from 
the  city,  the  prospect  of  obtaining  our  cherished  freedom 
seemed  far  enough  off.  However,  as  the  lawsuit  was 
still  pending  in  regard  to  the  men  above  mentioned,  who 
obtained  their  freedom,  the  captain,  being  obliged  to  at- 
tend court,  ordered  me  to  row  him  ashore  in  the  dingy. 
On  our  way  he  began  to  talk  to  me,  saying  that  he  sup- 
posed I  would  run  away,  etc.  I  told  him  frankly  that  it 
was  my  intention,  but  that  I  was  not  prepared  to  do  so 
that  day.  Indeed,  I  had  nothing  on  but  an  undershirt 
and  a  pair  of  duck  trousers,  and  was  wholly  without 
money.  He  simply  remarked  that  I  might  run  if  I  liked ; 
he  could  catch  me  easily  enough.  I  was  left  in  charge 
of  the  boat  while  he  went  to  the  court  house,  and  soon 
one  of  the  men  who  had  been  discharged  came  down  to 
the  boat  and  suggested  that  I  might  not  find  a  better 
chance  to  leave  than  then,  saying  that  about  two  miles 
from  the  city  I  would  find  a  swamp,  or  piece  of  woods, 
where  I  could  hide  till  night,  when  he  would  meet  me 

246 


SAIL   FOR   HAVANA, END  OF  SAILOR   LIFE 

on  the  road  near  the  city  with  food,  etc.  I  instantly- 
made  up  my  mind  to  take  his  advice,  and  forthwith  made 
as  much  of  ^i^  bee-line  for  the  woods  as  I  could.  It  was 
a  thick,  swampy,  primordial  piece  of  forest,  and  I  pene- 
trated into  it  as  far  as  I  thought  necessary  for  safety 
from  pursuit.  Like  all  swamps,  a  good  portion  was 
under  water,  but  I  succeeded  in  finding  a  dry  spot 
between  two  trees  that  had  grown  together  near  the  roots, 
and  there  I  spent  the  rest  of  the  day,  viz.,  from  lo  A.  M. 
till  the  stars  came  out  overhead.  It  was  a  queer  ex- 
perience; every  now  and  then  near  me  I  would  hear 
something  splash  in  the  water,  which  I  afterwards  learned 
must  have  been  some  plunging  alligator.  I  was  very 
hungry,  had  lost  my  hat  and  one  shoe  in  the  thicket  and 
bog,  and,  though  free,  I  was  not  happy.  When  I  thought 
it  safe  to  emerge  from  the  woods  it  was  nearly  dark, 
and  before  I  found  my  way  out  it  was  wholly  so,  and  I 
lost  my  reckoning  entirely  till  I  got  a  glimpse  of  some 
familiar  stars,  and  thus  was  able  to  guess  in  which 
direction  the  town  lay,  and  I  shaped  a  course  accordingly, 
hoping  to  meet  the  frie;nd  who  had  promised  to  bring  me 
food.  After  alternate  climbing  over  prostrate  trees  or 
tentatively  making  my  uncertain  way  along  some  hoary 
giant  of  the  forest  till  I  would  tumble  off  into  water 
waist-deep,  or  forcing  my  way  through  tangled  under- 
brush and  creepers,  I  found  myself  at  last  outside  the 
swamp,  and  saw  the  lights  of  the  city.  Having  found 
the  road  leading  thither,  I  approached  it  with  caution, 
and  it  was  well  I  did,  for  from  my  shadowy  coigne  of 
vantage  I  could  perceive  two  men  who  seemed  to  be  on 
the  lookout  for  some  one.  I  learned  afterwards  that  they 
were  after  me.  I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  country 
was  my  safest  direction,  and,  therefore,  carefully  keeping 
in  the  shadow  of  the  forest,  I  made  the  best  of  my  way 
in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  city. 

Though    the    night   was    moonless,    the   stars    shone 

247 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

bright,  and  I  soon  came  upon  a  road  which  led  to  some 
woods  in  a  different  direction  from  the  swamp  from  which 
in  such  pitiable  state  I  had  but  just  emerged.  For  a  while 
I  followed  the  road,  which  was  easily  seen,  even  in  the 
shadow  of  the  forest  which  I  had  entered,  on  account  of 
its  whiteness,  being  composed  mainly  of  shell  sand;  but 
soon  I  was  at  a  loss,  as  a  large  tree  lying  across  it  gave 
evidence  that  it  was  no  longer  used,  and  would  probably 
lead  to  no  human  habitation.  Retracing  my  steps  to 
find  another  way,  I  suddenly  became  aware  of  a  light  in 
the  distance,  but  I  could  find  no  path  that  led  to  it. 
However,  as  I  was  hungry  and  wet,  hatless  and  with  but 
one  shoe,  I  felt  that  I  must  make  my  way  there  at  all 
hazards.  Shaping  my  course  in  as  direct  a  line  as  the 
forest  trees  and  other  obstructions  would  permit,  I  went 
on,  keeping  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  light.  It  was  the 
roughest  walk  I  ever  had ;  at  least,  in  my  then  exhausted 
state  so  it  seemed;  I  kept  stumbling  and  falling  over 
logs  and  roots  that  in  the  thick  woods  I  could  not  see, 
till  bruised  and  sore  I  emerged  to  find  myself  no  nearer 
than  before  to  my  destination.  However,  on  I  went  a 
rod  or  two  on  what  seemed  a  plain  before  me,  till  sud- 
denly I  sunk  to  my  waist  in  a  marsh.  It  was  all  I  could 
do  to  get  out,  and  when  I  did  I  was  wet  through  all  over. 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  light  I  saw  was  an  ignis 
fatuus  of  a  swamp,  but  I  learned  afterwards  that  it  was 
a  lighthouse  on  the  farther  side  of  the  bay. 

Of  course,  I  was  obliged  to  retreat  and  try  to  find 
another  road,  but  I  must  say  I  was  almost  discouraged 
by  my  day's  adventure.  At  last  I  came  upon  a  white 
path  or  road,  which  I  began  to  follow,  when  suddenly  I 
heard  the  barking  of  dogs.  I  do  not  like  to  meet  strange 
dogs  in  the  night,  but  so  great  was  my  misery  that  the 
noise  of  the  beasts  was  music  to  me,  as  I  knew  it  in- 
dicated an  approach  to  the  abode  of  men.  Before  I  knew 
where  I  was,  or  before  I  could  see  anything  in  the  shape 

248 


SAIL  FOR  HAVANA,    END  OF  SAILOR  LIFE 

of  a  dwelling,  I  was  set  upon  by  four  or  five  big  hounds, 
that  came  rushing  as  if  to  devour  me.  I  stopped  short 
and  faced  them,  and,  as  my  sheath  knife  had  been  lost 
in  one  of  my  many  tumbles,  and  I  had  no  other  weapon 
of  defense,  I  resorted  to  my  voice,  advancing  towards 
them  and  yelling.  This  seemed  to  keep  them  at  bay  till 
a  voice  from  somewhere  in  the  darkness  called  them  oflf, 
at  the  same  time  demanding  to  know  who  had  ventured 
to  intrude  upon  his  premises.  I  told  him  who,  or  rather 
what  I  was,  a  runaway  sailor  that  wanted  shelter  for  the 
night.  "Is  that  you,  Lawrence?"  came  from  another 
voice.  "  Come  in."  The  latter  speech  I  found  to  come 
from  one  of  my  quondam  shipmates,  who,  while  his  case 
was  on  trial  at  the  court  house,  had  decamped,  to  make 
sure  in  case  the  judgment  should  have  gone  against  him. 
(I  learned  afterwards  that  it  did  not,  and  had  he  had  the 
courage  to  stay  he  would  have  been  discharged  with  pay, 
and  had  his  chest  of  clothes  sent  to  him ;  all  of  which  he 
lost  through  cowardice.) 

He  was  an  Irishman,  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  or 
thereabouts.  I  have  forgotten  his  name,  but  I  think  we 
called  him  Bill,  a  useless  sort  of  a  fellow  as  a  sailor, 
being,  in  fact,  no  sailor  at  all,  and  one  of  the  men  who 
claimed  his  discharge  on  account  of  cruel  and  harsh 
usage.  Nevertheless,  as  it  proved,  he  was  a  good  fellow 
on  shore,  and  his  heart,  though  not  very  brave,  was 
rightly  situated. 

I  entered  the  hut;  it  had  but  one  room,  a  couple  of 
bunks  and  a  fireplace.  The  fire  was  out,  as  it  was  past 
midnight,  but  I  threw  myself  down  on  the  uneven  boards 
of  which  the  floor  was  made,  and  was  soon  asleep,  to 
wake  up  about  every  half  hour  to  turn  over  to  warm  the 
side  which  had  been  uppermost,  for  it  was  mighty  cold 
sleeping  in  my  wet  clothes.  But  daylight  came  at  last, 
and  with  it  some  bacon  and  potatoes  —  what  a  sumptuous 
repast !    We  were  only  two  miles  from  town.    The  owner 

249 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

of  the  premises  was  a  butcher  of  sheep,  and  my  friend 
Bill  had  been  working  a  couple  of  days  for  him.  He  then 
informed  us  that  we  would  better  be  going,  or  the  officers 
would  probably  find  us ;  so  he  gave  my  friend  two  dollars 
and  a  pair  of  brogans,  and  early  the  next  morning  (it  was 
New  Year's  day,  1845)  we  went  our  way,  intending  to 
tramp  it  to  Pensacola,  some  two  or  three  hundred  miles 
distant.  It  was  twenty  miles  to  St.  Josephs,  an  almost 
deserted  town  west  from  Appalachicola.  The  road  was 
loose  sand,  and  very  heavy  to  walk  in,  but  we  reached 
the  first  stage  of  our  proposed  journey  by  6  o'clock  in 
the  evening.  As  we  only  had  the  two  dollars  in  money, 
and  a  prospect  of  several  hundred  miles  before  us,  we 
knew  that  we  would  have  to  beg,  unless  we  could  get 
work  on  the  way,  and,  as  we  were  passing  a  farm  house, 
the  only  one  on  the  road,  I  proposed  that  Bill,  who 
seemed  to  be  used  to  such  things,  should  ask  them  for 
food;  not  that  we  needed  it,  but  I  wanted  to  see  what 
the  prospects  might  be.  It  was  a  failure;  the  woman 
wouldn't  give  us  even  a  crust. 

On  arriving  at  St.  Joseph  we  encountered  three  men 
in  the  street.  One  was  evidently  a  gentlemanly  sort  of 
man,  about  thirty  years  old.  He  was  talking  to  a  large- 
sized  German,  while  an  Irishman,  a  laborer,  was  listening. 
The  first  man  spoke  to  us,  and  asked  who  we  were, 
where  we  were  going,  etc.  I  told  him  simply  the  truth, 
and  he  said  he  thought  he  had  seen  me  in  the  court  house. 
When  we  inquired  where  we  would  be  likely  to  get 
lodgings  for  the  night,  he  turned  to  the  Irishman  and 
said,  "  Pat,  take  them  to  Briggs's,"  explaining  to  us  that 
Briggs  kept  the  only  tavern  in  town.  So,  thanking  him, 
we  started  with  our  Hibernian  friend.  After  we  were  out 
of  sight  of  the  others  this  man  said :  "  Have  you  got  any 
money?"  We  told  him  very  little.  "Well,"  said  he,  "  if 
that's  the  case,  you'd  better  not  go  to  Briggs's ;  there  it  is 
(pointing  out  a  fair  brick  house  not  far  off),  but  if  you 

250 


SAIL   FOR  HAVANA,   END  OF  SAILOR  LIFE 

take  my  advice  I  think  you  can  be  better  accommodated 
by  a  friend  of  mine."  We  told  him  to  take  us  there.  It 
was  only  a  iittle  walk  from  our  first  destination.  In  a 
neat  frame  house,  with  a  garden  back  of  it,  bounded  by  a 
barn,  we  found  a  plump  little  woman  of  thirty-five,  per- 
haps, who  proved  to  be  the  wife  of  the  big  German  we 
had  seen  at  first.  After  she  had  heard  our  story  and 
sent  away  our  guide  with  the  injunction  not  to  say  where 
he  had  left  us,  she  burst  out  in  a  kind  of  chuckle,  not  un- 
mixed with  temper :  "  Ha !  ha !  Do  you  know  that  Briggs 
is  a  constable,  and  that  the  man  that  sent  you  there  is  a 
deputy  sheriff,  who  has  been  here  two  days  hunting  for 
you?  He  would  have  had  an  easy  time  with  you  if  you 
had  slept  at  Briggs's."  "But,"  said  I,  "he  will  know 
that  we  are  here,  and  won't  he  come  here?"  "  No,"  she 
said,  "  you  are  safe  here,  for  he  dare  not  come  to  my 
house." 

On  my  expressing  some  doubtful  astonishment  at  the 
assured  manner  in  which  she  delivered  herself,  she  took 
down  a  pistol  from  the  clock  case  and  fired  it  off  into  the 
wall,  saying,  as  she  did  so,  "  That's  what  he  will  get  if 
he  comes  here,  and  he  knows  it."  She  then  reloaded  the 
weapon  and  put  it  back  in  its  place.  Inquiring  as  to  the 
cause  of  her  evident  ill-will,  she  told  us  that  his  horse 
had  destroyed  the  cabbages  in  her  lot,  and  when  she  asked 
for  reparation  he  had  simply  laughed  at  her.  Her  hus- 
band came  home  soon  after,  and  said  that  he  had  been 
employed  in  moving  some  household  goods  for  the  last 
man  who  had  moved  away;  that  there  were  then  only 
five  families  in  the  place,  the  rest  having  gone  to 
Appalachicola,  St.  Joseph  having  been  deserted  because 
all  the  trade  had  gone  from  there.  Our  protectors  used 
to  keep  a  sailor  boarding-house,  when  in  former  days  St. 
Joseph  was  something  of  a  seaport,  and  had  a  lingering 
affection  for  sailors. 

The  old  Irishman  came  back  the  next  day  to  inquire 

251  % 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

after  us,  but  was  not  allowed  to  see  us,  being  told  that 
we  had  already  left  town  on  our  tramp.  The  children, 
too,  when  asked  by  the  deputy,  told  the  same  story.  But 
they  were  not  believed,  as  there  were  no  tracks  in  the 
sandy  road  to  vShow  that  we  had  left.  We  remained  two 
days  in  this  house,  for  which  we  paid  out  the  two  dollars 
of  Bill's  money,  besides  doing  some  chores  about  the 
garden,  though  most  of  the  time  we  were  concealed  in 
the  barn  loft,  from  whence  we  sometimes  could  see  our 
enemy  peering  round  for  tracks.  On  the  evening  of  the 
second  day,  our  good  landlady  informed  us  that  as  the 
deputy  sheriff  had  not  left  town  she  feared  that  he  had 
sent  for  assistance  from  Appalachicola,  and  that  we  would 
better  decamp,  which  she  said  we  could  easily  do  early 
next  morning,  as  the  officer  was  going  hunting  and  would 
be  absent  for  that  day.  So  at  3  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
armed  with  a  loaf  of  bread,  the  parting  gift  of  our  friend, 
we  set  off,  but  not  in  the  direction  we  originally  intended. 
There  was  an  old  disused  railroad  from  St.  Joseph  to  a 
place  called  lola,  near  the  Appalachicola  River,  which  we 
were  advised  to  follow.  It  would  take  us  to  some  settle- 
ments on  the  swamp  near  the  river,  and  we  could  doubt- 
less obtain  work  there  for  a  while,  until  we  could  with 
safety  go  back  to  the  city.  So  careful  was  I  that  we 
should  not  again  be  tracked  that  we  avoided  the  sand  as 
much  as  possible,  and  where  it  was  absolutely  necessary 
to  cross  it  we  went  backwards.  Once  on  the  rails,  and 
the  sand  brushed  off  them,  everything  was  easy. 

But  it  was  a  dreary  day's  tramp.  We  were  told  that 
we  would  have  to  walk  twenty-seven  miles  before  we 
would  come  to  any  settlement,  and  this  we  found  to  be 
the  case.  For  most  of  this  distance  we  were  obliged  to 
walk  the  rails,  as  the  ground  around  was  overgrown  with 
high  brambles,  whose  thorns  would  tear  our  clothes  and 
flesh.  Once  in  a  while  a  piece  of  water  would  be  parsed, 
whose  presence  was  known  to  us  by  the  "  kerchunk  "  of 

..:•  252 


SAIL   FOR   HAVANA,  END   OF  SAILOR   LIFE 


an  alligator  that  had  been  sunning  itself  on  the  bank, 
and  whose  slumbers  we  had  disturbed.  On  one  occasion 
a  long  trestle-%ork  over  a  dry  swamp  had  to  be  traversed. 
I  think  it  must  have  been  more  than  a  half  a  mile  across, 
and  about  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  depth.  The  bottom 
seemed  to  be  made  of  nothing  but  black  mud  and  cypress 
roots,  whose  conical  stumps,  three  or  four  feet  high, 
seemed  to  invite  an  impalement.  Of  course,  the  place 
swarmed  with  snakes,  and,  as  my  companion  held  these 
graceful  animals  in  holy  Irish  horror,  he  was  compelled 
to  creep  on  hands  and  knees  the  whole  distance,  while  I 
on  the  other  rail  walked  erect,  being  at  that  age  as  safe 
footed  and  sure  of  my  balance  as  a  monkey.  Of  course, 
I  was  a  long  way  ahead,  and,  after  I  reached  terra  firma, 
I  remember  how  amused  I  was  at  the  comical  figure  my 
poor  friend  made. 

It  was  a  very  warm  day,  the  sun  beat  freely  upon  us, 
not  a  tree  nor  a  bush  to  shade  us,  and,  of  course,  we  were 
exceedingly  used  up  and  hungry  about  5  o'clock  when 
we  met  some  people,  Yankee  farmers,  whose  house  was 
near.  We  stopped  and  asked  if  we  could  get  work, 
stating  our  exact  position  and  needs,  but  we  were  told 
to  go  on  three  miles  farther  to  neighbor  Wilson,  who 
would  probably  take  us  in.  Those  three  miles  were  hard 
ones,  especially  as  we  had  no  certainty  of  better  welcome, 
but  we  got  there  about  6  o'clock,  just  as  they  were  sitting 
down  to  supper.  As  usual,  the  dogs  announced  us,  and  a 
genial  looking  man  came  out,  to  whom  we  told  our  tale. 
"  Come  right  in,  shipmates,  and  fall  to,"  was  his  hos- 
pitable greeting.  "  If  you  are  willing  to  work  you  can 
stay  as  long  as  you  like."  We  found  Wilson  to  be  an 
[  English  ship  carpenter,  who  had  married  the  daughter 

^of  a  settler,  who  had  "  left  him  the  farm  he  had  there 
ind  the  daughter  for  his  bride." 

We  were  very  comfortably  quartered  in  a  log-cabin 

"near  the  house,  and  for  the  six  weeks  I  staid  had  nothing 

253 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

to  complain  of,  being  well  fed  and  respectfully  treated, 
though  the  work  was  at  first  somewhat  hard  upon  me, 
through  want  of  experience  in  handling  either  axe  or 
beetle,  as,  I  think,  the  large  driving  mallet,  or  chunk  of 
hickory,  trimmed  down  to  form  a  handle,  used  in  splitting 
rails,  was  called.  I  shook  my  hands  to  jelly  at  first  in 
trying  to  chop  down  trees,  and  never  quite  learned  the 
art  of  hitting  the  wedge  or  tree  in  the  right  way,  so  as 
not  to  jar  my  whole  nervous  system. 

The  farm  was  a  large  one,  situated  on  the  borders  of 
a  swamp,  as  this  sort  of  lake  full  of  cypress  and  gum 
trees  was  called.  The  water  was  clear,  sweet,  and 
browned  by  fallen  leaves,  ranging  from  two  to  ten  feet 
in  depth,  and  well  stocked  with  snakes  and  alligators. 
The  former  troubled  me  most,  at  least  in  apprehension, 
for  it  was  quite  a  common  thing  to  see  them  coiled  on 
the  large  moss-covered  sycamore  branches  in  large  num- 
bers, as  they  lay  warming  themselves  in  the  sun,  while 
we  paddled  our  little  dugout  right  under  them  in  navi- 
gating the  swamp,  our  most  common  mode  of  conveyance. 
I  remember  once  being  badly  scared,  when  Wilson  hit  a 
branch  of  a  tree  with  a  paddle,  which  caused  a  large 
number  of  the  reptiles  to  drop  down  into  the  water,  just 
missing  our  canoe.  Near  our  place  was  a  large  expanse 
of  deep  water  called  "  The  Dead  Lakes,"  which  was,  in 
fact,  a  real  lake  some  fifteen  miles  across,  with  numerous 
islets,  all  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  moss-covered 
trees,  very  solemn  in  appearance,  suggestive  of  hidden 
danger  and  filling  the  imagination  with  possibly  uncanny 
inhabitants.  I  was  informed  that  they  were  often  the 
refuge  places  of  runaway  negroes,  and  that  from  these 
natural  safe  retreats  they  were  in  the  habit  of  sallying 
forth  by  night  to  forage  for  pigs  and  poultry  belonging 
to  the  neighboring  settlements,  and  that  nobody  cared 
to  follow  them  into  their  strongholds.  In  fact,  a  pig  or 
a  fowl  was  scarcely  missed  in  those  neighboring  oak  and 

254 


SAIL   FOR   HAVANA,    END    OF    SAILOR    LIFE 

pine  woods,  where  they  (the  former,  especially)  were 
allowed  to  roam  at  will,  to  find  food  from  the  products  of 
nature,  and  fe^nce,  having  sated  their  hunger  with  acorns 
and  other  nuts,  they  would  make  their  way  to  the  edge 
of  the  swamp  to  enjoy  their  siesta  in  the  tepid  waters 
till,  not  unfrequently,  a  big  alligator  had  poor  piggy  by 
the  hind  leg,  pulling  him  out  into  deep  water  to  make 
a  feast  of  him. 

I  mention  this,  as  my  host  informed  me  that  these 
saurians  often  made  great  havoc  in  the  porcine  line,  and 
were  very  troublesome  on  that  account.  The  inhabitants 
did  not  seem  to  fear  them  otherwise,  though  bathing  was 
not  a  common  practice  in  those  waters.  And  yet,  I  re- 
member a  trip  on  the  Dead  Lakes,  which  gave  me  far 
from  pleasant  feelings,  for  in  crossing  in  our  little  canoe 
on  a  pleasant  sunny  day  so  many  great  monsters  were 
in  our  way  that  it  became  necessary  to  push  them  aside 
with  the  paddle  before  we  could,  with  safety,  proceed.  A 
dugout  is  a  very  uncertain  thing,  and  O,  so  easy  to 
capsize ! 

One  story  told  by  Mr.  Wilson,  and  I  have  done  with 
'gators.  A  neighboring  farmer  had  been  out  hunting  wild 
turkeys,  and  had  shot  one,  which  fell  into  the  swamp. 
Leaving  his  rifle  on  the  shore,  he  waded  out  waist  deep 
till,  just  as  he  was  about  to  lay  his  hand  on  the  bird 
by  a  young  gumtree,  a  big  alligator  showed  his  nose 
within  a  few  feet  of  him.  This  caused  him  to  neglect  his 
prize,  and  to  make  his  way  up  the  tree  very  fast  indeed. 
Once  out  of  the  reach  of  the  jaws  of  death  he  looked 
down,  thinking  the  turkey  would  be  a  satisfactory  tribute 
for  his  invasion  into  the  home  of  the  beast ;  but,  alas !  the 
jaws  were  kept  open,  the  alligator's  eyes  being  bent 
toward  him,  as  if  it  had  plenty  of  time  and  could  wait 
until  he  was  ready  to  come  down.  The  turkey  was 
ignored.  In  this  strait  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to 
halloo,  and  this  he  did  so  lustily  that  Wilson  heard  him 

255 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and  came  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  A  canoe  was  at 
hand,  but  in  his  haste  to  assist  his  friend  he  forget  the 
gun,  and  when  he  came  to  the  battle-ground  he  was 
actually  obliged,  so  he  averred,  to  hit  the  "  va^-mint " 
one  blow  with  the  paddle  before  he  disappeared.  The 
man  and  turkey  were  both  saved. 

During  the  time  I  lived  there  I  had  occasion  to  rebuke 
Wilson  for  his  habit  of  profanity,  and  this  coming  to  the 
ears  of  the  Yankee  farmer  first  encountered,  he  made 
me  an  offer,  through  my  host,  to  go  over  to  his  place  to 
teach  school,  for  he  had  several  children,  and  the  reason 
for  his  sending  us  off  in  the  first  place  was  through  fear- 
ing, being  sailors,  we  would  teach  his  children  to  swear! 
I  hardly  need  say  his  offer  was  refused. 

Spring  drawing  nigh,  I  began  to  be  anxious  to  get 
away,  but  my  boss  was  in  no  hurry,  and  kept  putting  me 
off  with  the  statement  that  the  vessel  I  had  deserted 
from  was  still  at  Appalachicola  (she  had  been  gone  a  long 
time,  I  afterwards  learned),  and,  therefore,  I  staid  till  I 
would  stay  no  longer.  And  so  one  morning,  with  twelve 
dozen  eggs,  the  wages  given  for  six  weeks'  work,  a 
ragged  cotton  shirt,  a  pair  of  trousers  worn  to  ribbons 
up  to  the  knees,  barefooted,  and  with  a  piece  of  straw 
hat  picked  up  in  a  field  (thrown  away  by  some  richer 
tramp),  behold  me  on  my  way,  in  a  cotton  boat  from 
Marietta,  Georgia,  bound  down  to  Appalachicola  on  the 
river  Chipola,  a  tributary  of  the  Appalachicola  River, 
which  it  joins  only  a  mile  below  my  friend  Wilson's  farm. 

On  arriving  at  Appalachicola  my  first  break  was  for 
a  sailor  boarding-house.  I  was  well  received,  notwith- 
standing my  beggarly  appearance,  and  as  soon 'as  I  was 
housed  I  began  to  look  for  work.  My  eggs  were  taken 
by  the  landlord  for  two  dollars,  and  with  this  I  at  once 
procured  a  stout  pair  of  shoes.  My  search  for  work  was 
aided  by  the  same  friend  of  the  seafaring  man,  and  in 
an  unexpected  way.     He  had  found  out  that  a  certain 

256 


SAIL   FOR   HAVANA,  END  OF   SAILOR   LIFE 

drug  store  was  in  want  of  a  sign,  and,  learning  that  I 
was  a  painter,  asked  me  if  I  could  undertake  the  job.  I 
would  have  undertaken  the  painting  of  a  church,  or  a 
barn,  or  a  fence,  just  then,  and  I  told  him  I  could  do  the 
work  if  I  had  the  paints  and  brushes.  To  be  sure  I 
never  had  painted  a  sign,  but  I  felt  confident  of  success. 
I  went  to  the  store;  they  had  a  long  plank  ready  made 
to  put  up,  but  there  was  no  man  in  town  equal  to  the 
artistic  part.  With  great  labor  I  lugged  the  board  home 
on  my  shoulder,  and,  having  had  a  brush  and  some  white 
and  black  paint  advanced  me  from  the  store,  I  soon  made 
a  fair  job  of  the  lettering,  "  Drugs  and  Medicines,"  in 
good  capitals,  copied  carefully  from  a  printed  book.  My 
reward  was  two  dollars,  minus  something  for  materials. 
It  was  soon  known  that  an  "  artist "  was  in  town,  and 
the  next  applicant  was  a  clothing  store.  I  think  the  de- 
sign was  "  Smith  &  Knowles,  Boots,  Shoes,  Hats,  and 
Clothing."  This  had  to  be  painted  on  the  brick  wall 
over  the  store  door,  and  I  remember  what  trouble  I  had 
to  borrow  a  ladder,  having  to  drag  a  heavy  one  several 
blocks  to  my  work.  By  this  time  I  was  ready  for  a 
lawyer's  sign  on  a  tin  plate  at  $1.50,  so  that,  altogether, 
during  the  week,  I  earned  enough  to  buy  me  a  cheap 
suit  of  clothes,  which,  if  coarse  and  homely,  were  clean 
and  fairly  decent,  enabling  me  even  to  show  myself  in 
church,  which  I  did  the  first  Sunday.  In  the  meantime 
I  also  painted  a  small  picture,  the  subject  being  Samson 
and  Delilah,  which  went  to  the  landlord  for  my  ten  days' 
board,  having  by  that  time  found  a  chance  to  work  my 
passage  in  a  schooner  to  New  Orleans.  Here  I  only 
remained  two  days,  or  perhaps  three. 

In  order  to  pay  my  way,  and  if  possible  to  get  enough 
for  a  deck  passage  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  I  worked  on 
the  levee,  rolling  cotton  and  carrying  pig  lead  for  the 
stevedores  who  were  loading  the  ships.  All  I  could  save 
for  my  trip  up  the  river  was  $2.50,  and,  as  I  found  that 

257 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

that  was  the  price  of  a  deck  passage,  I  invested  it  at  once, 
trusting  to  luck  for  getting  something  to  eat  on  the  way. 
Now  I  think  of  it,  I  had,  besides  my  passage  money, 
enough  to  buy  a  couple  of  pounds  of  soda  crackers,  but 
it  so  happened  that  another  sailor,  whose  acquaintance  I 
had  made  on  the  schooner,  had  taken  so  great  a  fancy 
to  me  that  he  decided  to  go  with  me.  He  had  seven 
dollars,  which  he  was  ready  to  share  with  me.  The  parti- 
tion did  not  become  necessary,  however,  as  he  had  the 
good  fortune  to  find  a  whole  ham  somewhere  on  the  boat, 
on  which  we  feasted,  I,  for  my  part,  asking  no  questions 
for  conscience  sake. 

We  were  four  days  going  to  St.  Louis,  and  during 
this  time  chance  favored  me,  so  that  by  the  time  we  had 
reached  our  journey's  end  I  had  $1.50  to  invest  in  a 
passage  from  St.  Louis  to  Peru  on  a  small  steamer  that 
navigated  the  Illinois  River  to  that  place.  There  was  a 
German  artist  among  the  emigrants,  and  he  painted 
cabinet  portraits  quite  cleverly  on  sheets  of  tin,  for  which 
he  got  $2  each.  Once  he  saw  my  arm,  which  is  decorated 
with  a  tattooed  crucifix  not  illy  done.  He  seemed  to 
admire  it,  and  when  I  told  him  I  was  conversant  with 
the  art  of  tattooing,  he  offered  his  arm,  and  I  put  an  easel 
and  palette  on  it,  for  which  I  got  50  cents.  Another,  a 
carpenter,  wanted  an  insignia  of  his  trade  on  his,  and  I 
forget  what  I  did  for  the  third,  but  this  is  the  way  I 
accumulated  enough  to  get  to  Peru  without  begging.  I 
spent  Sunday  only  in  St.  Louis.  The  weather  was  warm, 
and  I  slept  out  of  doors;  as  to  food,  I  don't  remember 
eating  anything,  but  I  am  sure,  whatever  it  was,  it  was 
not  furnished  gratis.  Now  I  think  of  it,  I  must  have  had 
something  from  the  steamer  in  my  pocket,  as  the  stewards 
supplied  both  me  and  my  chum  with  an  abundance  of 
food,  for  which  I  paid  by  making  a  spread  eagle  in  lead 
stencil,  with  which  to  adorn  the  boiled  hams,  pepper 
being  used  by  way  of  material. 

258 


MARBLEHEAD    ROCKS 
PAINTED    IN    1874 


A    SKETCH    FROM    MY    HOME    PORCH 

PAINTED    IN    1903 


SAIL   FOR   HAVANA,  END  OF  SAILOR  LIFE 

The  passage  to  Peru  was  short,  and  I  only  remember 
it  as  a  very  pleasant  one.  My  chum  had  now  five  dollars 
left,  but  he  concluded  to  stick  by  me.  We  were  to  walk 
the  ninety  miles  intervening  between  Peru  and  Chicago, 
our  objective  point,  it  being  my  intention  to  pay  our  way 
by  making  pictures  for  the  farmers  on  the  route.  There 
were,  however,  a  number  of  other  sailors  bound  for  the 
same  place,  and,  as  they  had  money,  they  chartered  a 
prairie  schooner.  On  the  way  they  overtook  us,  who 
had  gone  on  ahead,  and,  after  a  consultation,  concluded 
to  ask  us  to  join  them ;  but,  as  we  only  had  five  dollars, 
and  it  was  only  enough  for  one,  my  chum  resolutely  re- 
fusing to  leave  me,  they  concluded  to  make  up  the  dif- 
ference among  themselves,  and  thus  it  was  that  we 
arrived  at  Chicago  much  sooner  than  we  had  hoped  for. 
On  our  arrival  but  two  vessels  were  in  port,  both  bound 
to  Buffalo.  One  of  these  was  named  "  Velocity,'*  a  name 
which  must  have  been  given  in  irony,  for  a  slower  tub  I 
never  sailed  in.  I  went  on  board  and  found  that  the 
mate  was  an  old  friend  of  mine,  one  Williamson,  cousin 
to  my  intimate  studio  companion  and  model  before 
spoken  of.  One  of  the  crew  was  discharged  at  once  to 
make  room  for  me.  I  tried  to  get  a  place  for  my  friend, 
but  could  not  on  board  of  the  same  vessel.  However, 
through  Mate  Williamson's  influence,  he  secured  a  berth 
in  the  other  schooner.  Thus  we  were  separated,  never 
to  meet  again.  I  grieve  to  add  that  not  only  did  I  never 
see  him  more,  but  I  cannot  even  recall  his  name.  He 
was  a  rough  man,  good  sailor,  kind,  and  thoroughly  loyal. 

I  remained  through  the  season  in  this  vessel,  our  last 
trip  being  in  December,  from  Toledo  to  Port  Colborne, 
Canada,  where  we  arrived  in  safety  after  a  quick  run 
during  a  furious  blizzard,  in  which  we  were  given  up  for 
lost  (as  I  afterwards  heard  on  my  final  return  to  Buffalo 
shortly  before  Christmas,  having  left  the  vessel  in  Canada 
to  be  laid  up  for  the  winter). 

259 


XXIII 

EXPERIENCES    AS  A   MEDICAL    STUDENT 

THIS  return  to  Buffalo  closed  my  sailor  life  for 
good.  I  found  I  could  no  longer  lead  a  dual 
life,  but  that  a  choice  must  be  made  between 
the  laborious  and  often  dangerous  occupation  which 
hitherto  had  been  my  certain  refuge  from  want  and  the 
easy  and  pleasant  work  of  the  art  student,  which  I 
already  knew  would  bring  with  it,  by  way  of  balance  to 
aggregate  happiness,  all  sorts  of  mental  unquiet,  disap- 
pointment, and  mortifications.  Actual  want  I  did  not 
fear,  for  I  was  prepared  for  the  utmost  frugality,  both 
in  food  and  clothing,  but  I  must  have  a  place  to  work 
in  —  I  had  not  then  got  so  far  along  as  to  call  it  a 
"  studio."  With  all  these  drawbacks,  I  chose  to  trust  my 
future  life  to  Art,  hoping  that  by  hard  study  I  would  at 
last  succeed  in  making  pictures  which  would  bring  me 
sufficient  for  my  modest  wants. 

My  first  venture  was  to  take  a  room  on  Seneca  Street, 
in  what  was  then  called  the  Lockwood  Block,  a  three- 
story  structure,  consisting  of  three  houses  situated  on 
the  south  side  of  the  street,  about  midway  between  the 
present  Wells  Street  and  Michigan.  One  of  these  houses 
was  a  boarding-house  kept  by  one  Mrs.  Carney.  Here  I 
had  a  nice  room  in  the  third  story,  and  I  also  boarded 
with  her.  Thus  I  was  at  last  fairly  launched  on  my  new 
career.  I  have  no  very  distinct  recollection  of  my  work 
this  year,  beyond  that  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  pay 
most  of  my  board  in  painting  my  landlady's  portrait, 
besides  those  of  some  other  friends  who  had  taken  an 

260 


EXPERIENCES    AS    A    MEDICAL    STUDENT 

interest  in  me.  I  found  that  for  a  young  beginner  I  was 
too  far  from  the  central  portion  of  the  city,  and,  therefore, 
in  the  spring^f  1846,  I  moved  into  a  room  over  a  grocery 
opposite  to  the  post-office,  which  then  was  located  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Seneca  and  Washington  streets,  the 
opposite  corner,  where  the  post-office  now  stands  (1889), 
being  occupied  by  a  building  which  had,  if  I  am  not  mis- 
taken, once  been  a  post-office,  then  a  church,  and  at  the 
time  of  which  I  write  was  converted  into  a  medical  col- 
lege, the  Buifalo  Medical  College  (the  nucleus  of  the 
present  University  of  Buffalo),  which  was  chartered  that 
year,  and  opened  its  doors  for  students  the  following 
spring.  The  room  I  occupied  was  in  the  second  story, 
and,  but  for  its  shabby  intiquity,  w^as  quite  passable  for  a 
poor  devil  like  me.  It  had  a  dark  bedroom,  with  an  old 
dilapidated  desk ;  that  is,  if  a  wooden  desk  may  be  said  to 
be  di-lapi-dated,  on  which  I  wrote  poetry  and  other 
nonsense  during  my  lonely  evenings;  but  as  I  cannot  re- 
member being  at  the  time  possessed  of  a  bed,  I  could  not, 
presumably,  have  slept  there,  and,  curiously  enough,  I 
cannot  now  recall  —  yes,  I  can  just  now,  and  by  a  curious 
circumstance. 

As  will  be  seen  later,  I  was  attending  lectures  at  the 
medical  college  during  this  and  the  following  year,  and 
I  remember  dreaming  that  I  was  lying  by  the  side  of  a 
cold  "  cadaver  "  of  a  negro,  that  I  had  seen  brought  into 
the  theater  of  the  anatomy  class,  and  the  dissection  of 
which  had  been  commenced  that  day  by  Professor 
Webster.  And  now  I  recollect  that  the  bed  and  bedding 
was  loaned  me  by  Mrs.  G.  Humason,  whose  portrait  and 
that  of  her  husband  and  child  I  was  painting  for  my 
board.  Two  chairs  were  all  the  furniture  of  my  studio, 
and  the  floor  was  bare,  a  carpet  of  any  kind  being  quite 
beyond  my  means. 

I  believe  I  painted  more  portraits  in  this  studio  than 
I  have  ever  done  since  in  any  one  year,  but  the  results, 

261 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

so  far  as  my  pocket  was  concerned,  were  of  the  most 
meager.  My  prices  were  low;  I  asked  $25,  and  took 
anything  that  was  offered  me;  several  of  my  best  por- 
traits were  painted  for  $10,  and  for  most  of  them  I  re- 
ceived no  money  to  speak  of. 

I  am  not  certain,  but  this  may  be  as  good  a  place  as 
any  to  say  something  of  the  materials  for  painting  obtain- 
able at  the  beginning  of  my  studies,  as  it  serves  to  illus- 
trate the  rapid  march  of  ideas.  The  only  paints  we  could 
get  at  this  time  that  were  ground  and  ready  for  the 
palette  were  sold  in  stiff  tin  tubes  closed  at  the  top 
except  a  small  opening,  through  which  the  paint  was 
projected  by  pushing  on  the  bottom,  made  of  cork, 
which  was  forced  farther  and  farther  in  till  the  tube  was 
emptied.  Many  kinds  of  pigments,  however,  were  un- 
obtainable even  in  this  way,  and  the  muller  and  stone  or 
glass  was  a  sine  qua  non  in  most  artist's  studios.  I 
think  it  was  a  Scotchman,  in  the  employ  of  Dechaux  of 
New  York,  who  first  suggested  the  flexible  tube  about 
this  time,  and  without  which  nowadays  artists  would 
not  be  able  to  get  along  at  all.  But  the  invention  soon 
became  general  all  over  the  world,  and  in  a  few  years 
the  little  bladders  in  which  paints  had  been  sold  up  to 
this  time  were  wholly  superseded.  I  suppose  the  stiff 
tube  was  an  improvement  on  the  bladder,  and  this  gave 
the  idea  of  the  flexible. 

This  digression  has  been  forced  upon  me  by  the  re- 
membrance of  the  difficulty  I  experienced  in  obtaining 
painting  materials,  but  after  all  it  was  not  so  much  the 
want  of  the  proper  method  of  keeping  and  using  them  as 
the  scarcity  of  money  to  buy  them  with.  Paints  and  can- 
vases must  be  had,  even  at  the  expense  of  food  and  cloth- 
ing, and  I  believe  I  would  have  been  able  to  keep  fairly 
out  of  debt  if  it  had  not  been  necessary  to  obtain  credit 
for  these  materials. 

I  think  it  must  have  been  in  the  autumn  of  this  year 

262 


EXPERIENCES    AS    A    MEDICAL     STUDENT 

that  Mr.  Thomas  Le  Clear  arrived  in  Buffalo.  I  called 
on  him  at  his  studio,  and  found  the  little  man  —  for  then 
he  had  not  attained  to  the  heroic  dimensions  of  after 
life  —  trying  to  make  an  old  well-worn  ingrain  carpet, 
once  the  covering  of  a  small  parlor  floor,  do  duty  in  a 
bare  room-of  twenty  by  thirty  feet,  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Granite  Block,  said  granite  being,  in  point  of  fact, 
a  limestone  front  to  a  brick  building  just  above  Swan 
Street  on  Main.  He  had  but  just  arrived,  and  was  already 
a  married  man  with  a  family.  He  had  started  a  portrait 
or  two,  one  of  Dr.  Lord,  a  prominent  clergyman,  and  I 
saw  at  once  that  he  could  draw  with  vigor  and  accuracy, 
and  that  he  had  been  properly  trained  in  his  art.  I  after- 
wards learned  that  he  had  been  a  pupil  of  Henry  Inman, 
at  that  time  the  foremost  portrait  painter  in  the  United 
States.  My  respect  for  the  ethereal  looking  artist  was  at 
once  established,  and  when  he  afterwards  repaid  my  visit, 
and  seemed  pleased  with  my  work,  the  first  link  in  the 
chain  of  friendship,  which  for  many  years  —  indeed  up 
to  his  death  —  bound  us  together,  was  forged. 

About  this  time  a  boy  of  fifteen  made  his  appearance 
in  my  studio,  desiring  to  become  my  pupil.  I  cannot  at 
this  time  fully  realize  the  assurance  with  which  I  must 
have  been  blessed  in  undertaking  to  lead  another  on  the 
thorny  path  of  art,  when  I  must  have  been,  comparatively, 
both  blind  and  lame  myself!  However,  I  have  small 
cause  to  complain,  since  the  pupil  of  my  youth  became 
the  friend  of  my  life. 

There  lived  in  Buffalo,  at  that  time,  a  certain  Dr. 
Conger,  who,  I  believe,  stood  fairly  well  with  his  pro- 
fessional brethren,  but  was  besides  known  for  his  chari- 
table endeavors  to  dispel  the  darkness  among  his  Baptist 
brethren  and  sisters  in  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Wash- 
ington Baptist  Church,  in  regard  to  anatomy  and  physi- 
ology. He  came  to  my  studio,  offering  to  procure  me 
tickets  to  the  course  in  the  aforesaid  medical  college,  then 

263 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

in  its  incipiency.  In  return  for  said  tickets  I  was  to  paint 
for  him,  to  use  at  his  lectures  in  the  Sunday  school,  a 
series  of  pictures  to  be  copied  from  a  book  on  anatomy. 
I  eagerly  accepted,  for  I  wanted  much  to  learn  all  about 
the  subject,  as  a  further  advance  in  art.  The  book  was 
a  curious  one,  full  of  colored  plates,  and  with  a  nomen- 
clature supposed  to  explain  itself,  a  very  good  idea  as  I 
found,  for  it  served  to  fix  upon  my  memory  not  only  the 
names  but  the  uses  and  places  of  the  various  organs  and 
parts  of  the  human  framework. 

One  example  will  illustrate  my  meaning :  "  Levator 
anguli  oris  alique  nasi  "  made  me  at  once  acquainted 
with  the  fact  that  said  muscle  assisted  in  raising  the 
angle  of  the  mouth  and  the  nostrils,  etc.  The  work  was 
divided  into  osteology,  splanchnology,  neurology,  angiol- 
ogy,  etc.  With  the  aid  of  my  pupil  I  painted  a  large- 
sized  canvas  full  of  nothing  but  nerves,  with  their  in- 
tricacies of  ramification.  On  another  was  portrayed  the 
circulatory  system,  another  had  the  viscera,  and  a  fourth 
the  muscles,  but  I  cannot  remember  that  osteology  was 
represented ;  probably  a  skeleton  did  service  for  that.  It 
was  a  laborious  job,  but  it  gave  me  a  good  foundation 
for  my  subsequent  studies  in  the  mysteries  of  the 
^'  human  form  divine." 

As  yet  the  medical  college  had  not  been  opened,  and 
I  waited  patiently  till  the  time  should  come  and  Dr. 
Conger  would  bring  me  the  tickets.  One  day  the  late 
justly  celebrated  Dr.  Austin  Flint  came  into  my  room, 
showing  me  some  colored  engravings  of  skin  diseases, 
which  he  wanted  copied  large  to  lecture  from  at  the 
college,  saying,  at  the  same  time,  that  he  could  not  afford 
to  pay  much  for  them,  but  he  would  give  me  tickets  to 
the  course.  I  answered  that  Dr.  Conger  had  already 
agreed  to  furnish  me  with  them,  and  that  I  had  done  a 
:good  deal  of  work  for  him  on  that  account.  "  Why,  Dr. 
Conger  has  no  tickets  to  dispose  of;  he  does  not  belong 

264 


EXPERIENCES     AS    A    MEDICAL    STUDENT 

to  the  faculty."  This  was  not  welcome  news,  but  so 
eager  was^I  to  profit  by  the  opportunity  of  study  that 
I  at  once  agreed,  knowing  that  there  could  be  no  mistake 
this  time  as  to  the  tickets. 

The  Buffalo  Medical  College  became  a  fixed  fact  at 
last,  and  some  time  in  the  month  of  May  of  that  year 
(1847)  the  lecture  course  began.  On  the  site  of  the 
former  post-office  then  stood  a  brick  structure,  with  a  low 
steeple  or  tower,  resembling,  in  most  respects,  an  ordi- 
nary country  meeting-house,  and,  indeed,  I  believe  it 
was  built  for  a  Baptist  church,  but  had  been  afterwards 
used  for  a  post-office,  and  was  even  at  that  time  known 
as  the  "  old  post-office,"  the  then  post-office  being,  as 
previously  stated,  in  the  building  opposite ;  that  is,  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Seneca  and  Washington  streets. 
It  was  here,  in  the  "  old  post-office,"  that  the  shrine 
of  Esculapius  was  first  established.  On  the  main 
floor  above  the  basement  an  amphitheater  was  con- 
structed, below  which  was  the  dissecting  room,  from 
whence,  through  a  low  door  in  the  center  of  the  lecture 
stage,  the  anatomical  subject  to  be  discussed  was  intro- 
duced. 

I  never  shall  forget  my  first  view  of  the  nude  negi*o 
"  cadaver,"  and  the  dignified  attitude  of  Professor  Web- 
ster, as,  with  scalpel  in  one  hand  and  forceps  in  the 
other,  he  addressed  the  students  surrounding  him :  "  Gen- 
tlemen," he  said,  "  we  shall  commence  our  studies  with 
the  dissection  of  the  parts  necessary  for  the  operation 
for  inguinal  hernia."  So  saying,  with  the  handle  of  the 
scalpel  he  marked  out  the  lines  to  be  followed,  and  at 
once  began  to  use  the  knife,  deftly  dissecting  up  the  in- 
tegument, showing  the  fascia  underneath,  indicating 
the  blood  vessels  to  be  avoided,  and  other  matters 
of  construction,  all  the  while  bending  over  his  work, 
but  moving  from  side  to  side,  so  that  all  might  have  a 
chance  to  see  what  he  was  doing,  turning  now  and  then, 

265 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

with  the  handle  of  the  scalpel  holding  up  a  part  to  view, 
generally  repeating  what  he  said  as  he  turned  to  each 
part  of  his  audience.  To  me  all  this  was  horribly  inter- 
esting, and  no  wonder  I  dreamed,  as  I  have  above  stated, 
that  night  in  my  solitary  den. 

Although  I  do  not  propose  to  write  the  history  of 
the  Buffalo  Medical  College,  many  recollections  crowd 
upon  me  in  its  connection,  more  or  less  personal,  or  of 
personal  experience,  and  as  these  are,  or  were,  a  part  of 
my  life,  it  is  proper  to  allude  to  some  of  them.  It  can 
hardly  be  believed  by  the  present  Bufifalonians  that 
servant  girls  were  kept  in  nights,  for  fear  of  being  Burked 
in  the  streets  and  sold  to  be  used  in  the  dissecting  room, 
but  that  is  actually  a  fact.  The  situation  of  the  college, 
too,  in  the  midst  of  the  most  frequented  part  of  the  town, 
caused  much  talk  as  to  what  diabolical  rites  were  prac- 
ticed within,  nor  was  this  without  some  reason,  for  un- 
canny things  did  sometimes  take  place  in  and  about  the 
institution. 

I  remember  that  once  a  country  lad,  some  nineteen 
or  twenty  years  of  age,  had  in  some  way  been  made  to 
believe  that  it  was  a  meeting-house,  or  something  of  the 
sort,  and,  as  the  door  of  the  dissecting  room  was  un- 
guarded, he  effected  an  entrance.  Discovering  his  mis- 
take, both  by  the  odor  and  the  sight  of  the  contents  of 
the  tables,  surrounded,  as  they  were,  by  the  students 
robed  from  head  to  foot  in  black  gowns,  he  tried  to  beat 
a  retreat,  but  was  prevented  by  one  of  the  young  scape- 
graces, who,  after  having  locked  the  door,  proceeded  to 
inform  him  that  as  he  had  entered  this  forbidden  place 
his  body  must  be  used  in  the  aid  of  science  on  the  dis- 
secting table.  I  think  he  was  the  most  frightened  indi- 
vidual I  ever  saw,  and  the  happiest  man  that  ever  was, 
when,  after  a  good  deal  of  apparent  consultation  among 
us,  he  was  finally  allowed  to  go. 

On  another  occasion,  when  about  to  enter  the  build- 

266 


EXPERIENCES    AS    A    MEDICAL    STUDENT 

ing,  we  found  a  dog  dragging  a  man's  heart  and  lungs 
on  the  wooden  steps  that  led  to  the  front  door;  in  some 
way  he  had  got  in  and  brought  them  out.  Some  of  the 
students  were  sad  cases,  too,  and  the  cause  of  consid- 
erable scandal.  For  example,  once  the  upper  part  of  a 
woman's  head,  with  long  locks,  was  found  on  the  door- 
step to  one  of  the  principal  boarding-houses  in  the  city, 
the  work,  as  was  then  supposed,  of  one  of  these  hardened 
boys,  whose  identity  was  never  known. 

After  moving  to  the  corner  of  Erie  Street,  I  still 
continued  my  anatomical  studies  as  long  as  the  college 
remained  on  Seneca  Street.  However,  it  soon  became 
more  difficult  for  me  to  attend  the  lectures,  as  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  fall  the  practice  of  dissecting  in  the 
evening  was  discontinued,  and  I  could  ill  afford  to  lose 
the  daylight.  I,  therefore,  at  night  used  to  creep  in 
through  the  subject  door,  light  all  the  candles  I  could 
find,  and  sit  or  stand  there  alone  with  the  book  and  sub- 
ject before  me,  absorbed  in  study.  The  last  night  I  went 
there  is  vivid  in  my  memory.  Doctor  Harvey,  the  den- 
tist, had  been  one  of  the  late  students,  and  was  the 
owner  of  a  quarter  of  a  body,  including  the  head,  which, 
of  course,  was  to  him  of  the  greatest  importance.  Having 
no  use  for  the  arm,  he  gave  it  to  me,  and  I  set  about 
to  find  out  for  myself  all  the  intricate  mechanism  of  that 
to  me  most  important  member  of  the  human  frame.  It 
was  a  stormy  night  in  early  November,  a  real  Buffalo 
night.  I  had  got  in  as  usual  and  placed  myself  at  the 
farthest  table  from  the  door,  with  four  tallow  candles, 
my  book,  and  my  precious  arm.  Of  course,  constant  use 
of  the  dissecting  room  had  made  me  callous  to  anything 
like  superstitious  feeling,  but  the  uncanny  sounds  around 
me,  and  the  horrid  sights  before  me,  gradually  so  wrought 
upon  my  nerves  that  everything  about  me  seemed  alive 
or  in  motion.  The  roaring  of  the  storm  outside,  the 
shaking  of  windows,   the  swinging  back  and   forth  of 

267 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

drying  anatomical  specimens,  consisting  of  bodies  with 
dissected  muscles  still  adhering  by  their  tendons  and 
ligaments  to  their  osseous  frames,  the  noise  of  rats  run- 
ning hither  and  thither,  and,  worse  than  all,  perhaps, 
a  half-dissected  body  placed  in  the  direct  light  of  my 
candles  a  few  feet  before  me,  on  bended  knees  and  with 
a  pipe  stuck  between  his  lip-denuded  teeth  —  all  this, 
notwithstanding  my  philosophy  and  close  attention  to 
work,  produced  such  an  effect  at  last  upon  my  nerves 
that  I  was  fain  to  bundle  up  what  remained  of  my  arm 
and  hand  in  my  dissecting  robe,  put  out  the  lights,  and 
feel  my  way  back  to  the  place  of  entrance.  It  was  one 
o'clock  when  I  got  out  and  could  breathe  the  fresh  air 
again.  In  those  days  gas  light  did  not  yet  exist  in  our 
streets,  and  in  the  darkness  I  was  glad  that  no  curious 
watchman  stopped  me  on  the  way  to  my  studio  to  ask 
what  my  mysterious  bundle  contained. 

I  afterwards  finished  my  study  in  the  garret  over  my 
room,  and  disposed  of  the  remains  in  a  vault.  This  was 
the  last  of  my  dissecting  work,  for  after  the  college 
moved  uptown  I  could  no  longer  pursue  it;  but  I  have 
never  ceased  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the  study  of 
anatomy,  and,  besides  the  information  the  book  could 
furnish,  I  have  spent  much  time  over  the  bones  of  a  dis- 
jointed skeleton  in  after  years. 


268 


XXIV 

DIFFICULTIES   OF  AN   ARTISTS   CAREER 

ON  my  first  visit  to  Mr.  Wilgus,  the  great  and 
I  beautiful  studio  had  made  a  deep  impression  on 
my  imagination  as  to  what  great  things  might 
be  accomplished  within  its  enchanting  precincts.  Learn- 
ing that  it  was  vacant,  I  hastened  to  apply  for  possession. 
The  rent  was  $ioo  per  year,  a  large  sum  for  my  slender 
income;  but  as  I  had  about  this  time  received  some 
orders,  and,  as  hope  was  strong  within  me,  I  thought 
that  I  might  safely  make  the  venture.  The  lessor,  how- 
ever, the  late  Dr.  James  P.  White,  having  some  doubts 
of  my  solvency,  insisted  upon  security  for  the  rent,  and 
my  ever  valued  friend,  W.  D.  Fobes,  volunteered  to  sign 
the  lease  with  me,  and  on  the  first  of  May,  1847,  I  entered 
into  possession.  The  room  was  very  large,  with  three 
windows  facing  the  north,  solid  shutters  and  dark  walls, 
admitting  what  I  then  supposed  to  be  the  true  Rem- 
brandtesque  light,  almost  effectively  preventing  the  re- 
flections I  had  not  yet  learned  to  value. 

The  orders  above  alluded  to  were  for  three  portraits 
at  $25  each.  This  was  from  a  lady,  whose  husband  had 
a  little  before  come  home  from  the  Utica  State  Hospital, 
improved,  but  far  from  cured.  While  there  his  portrait 
had  been  painted  by  a  resident  artist,  whose  name  I  never 
learned.  The  work  had  been  done  while  the  subject  was 
in  a  more  violent  state  of  insanity,  and,  although  exhibit- 
ing a  good  deal  of  artistic  skill,  it  failed  to  give  satisfac- 
tion, in  consequence  of  a  certain  wildness  in  the 
expression  of  the  eyes.    I  was  to  remedy  this,  and  in  the 

269 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

light  of  the  experience  of  after  years  I  can  hardly  under- 
stand my  temerity  in  the  undertaking,  especially  as  I 
realized,  even  then,  that  the  picture,  as  such,  was  better 
than  anything  I  had  ever  done. 

The  foundations  of  St.  John's  Church,  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Swan  and  Washington  streets,  were  laid 
in  1846,  and  in  the  following  year  it  was  finished,  but 
while  it  was  building  the  newly-formed  congregation 
used  to  worship  in  the  lecture-room  of  the  Young  Men's 
Association,  on  the  south  side  of  South  Division  Street, 
between  Main  and  Washington.  I  hardly  now  recollect 
just  how  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  its  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Montgomery  Schuyler,  and  his  wife,  but  it  led  to  an 
intimate  friendship,  which  remained  unbroken  through  all 
the  after  years  of  our  lives.  Among  the  first  portraits  I 
painted  in  my  new  studio  were  one  of  his  infant  son, 
Roosevelt,  and  his  own  in  his  clerical  gown.  At  this  time 
I  was  a  member  of  the  North  Presbyterian  Church, 
whither  I  had  been  drawn  less  by  inclination  of  choice 
than  by  the  influence  of  the  society  in  which  I  had  moved, 
who  were  nearly  all  Presbyterians,  and  more  or  less  con- 
nected with  the  Bethel  Church  and  society. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  been  able  to  pay  my  way  by 
painting  for  my  board,  sleeping  in  my  studio,  where  most 
of  my  evenings  were  spent  quite  alone  in  reading  such 
books  as  bore  upon  art.  Among  these,  Burnett's  works 
on  painting  opened  my  mind  to  the  beauties  of  the  old 
masters  as  seen  through  critical  analysis;  rules  for  color, 
harmony,  and  composition  thence  deduced,  though  at 
present  scoffed  at  by  many  painters,  which,  nevertheless, 
after  fifty  years  of  study  and  thought  on  art  still  appear 
to  me  to  be  based  on  common  sense  and  just  aesthetic 
ideas,  and,  I  may  add,  may  always  be  recognized  in  every 
effort  of  genius,  even  when  produced  in  ignorance  of  rule. 
The  study  of  anatomy  also  gave  me  great  pleasure,  and, 
in  fact,  I  did  all  I  could  to  store  my  mind  with  knowledge 

270 


DIFFICULTIES    OF   AN  ARTIST'S   CAREER 

that  I  considered  necessary  to  an  accomplished  artist.  In 
this  connection,  I  may  mention  coming  upon  a  small 
volume,  an  old,  ragged  thing  which  I  picked  up  some- 
where, viz.,  Shakespeare's  "  Lear."  Though  I  had  often 
enjoyed  Shakespeare's  works  in  the  theater,  this  was  the 
first  time  I  ever  read  anything  of  his,  and  to  me  it  was  a 
revelation!  Dear  old  Shakespeare,  how  much  I  owe 
to  thee! 

On  taking  possession  of  my  new  studio  I  formed  a 
resolution  which  I  soon  found  myself  unable  to  carry 
out,  namely :  I  resolved,  being  free  from  debt  and  having 
work  engaged  ahead,  never  to  owe  a  cent  to  any  one.  I 
had  about  $25,  and  I  was  determined  to  make  that  sum 
hold  out  till  more  should  come.  To  this  end,  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  keep  a  sort  of  bachelor's  hall.  I  daily  bought 
a  small  loaf  of  bread  and  a  pint  of  milk,  and  on  this  I 
lived  till  sixpence  after  sixpence  was  spent;  for  the  last 
weeks  I  cut  off  the  milk  supply,  as  the  bread  was  more 
substantial  food,  but  at  last  the  exchequer  was  empty, 
and  for  nearly  forty-eight  hours  I  had  nothing  but  my 
tobacco,  which  I  then  used  to  still  my  hunger. 

I  had  learned  the  moves  in  chess,  and  my  ever  faithful 
friend,  Fobes,  used  to  come  to  my  studio  to  play  with 
me.  He,  too,  was  new  to  the  game,  and  I  quite  often 
beat  him.  One  evening  he  came  to  my  studio  from  a 
steamboat  excursion  for  the  benefit  of  the  Bethel 
Church,  and  we  began  to  play.  Noticing  that  I  was 
careless,  and  played  unusually  ill,  he  exclaimed :  "  What 
is  the  matter  that  you  play  so  badly?"  I  made  no  direct 
reply,  but  on  his  pressing  the  question  I  was  constrained 
to  own  the  truth.  "Why,  you  see,  I  am  so  hungry.  I 
have  had  nothing  to  eat  for  forty-eight  hours."  "  Good 
God !"  he  exclaimed.  "  Let's  go  down  to  the  Red  Jacket." 
We  did,  and  I  think  I  demolished  the  better  part  of  a 
whole  fowl.  From  this  time  I  often  enjoyed  the  hospitality 
of  his  house,  and  frequently  spent  the  night  with  him. 

271 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

All  this  time  I  had  frequent  invitations  to  tea  with 
friends,  which  t  sometimes  accepted,  but  not  often,  as 
my  friends  would  ask  me  where  I  boarded,  and  I  felt 
that  to  have  to  own  that  I  lived  in  my  studio  would 
imply  that  their  invitation  was  too  much  like  charity;  at 
least,  thus  my  sensitive  pride  interpreted  it.  At  last  I 
found  that  this  mode  of  life  would  not  do,  and  I,  there- 
fore, made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  a  regular  boarding-house, 
and,  though  I  there  got  rather  deeply  in  debt,  I  was 
enabled  to  liquidate  it  on  my  return  from  the  West 
Indies,  where  I  spent  the  winter  of  1848-9.  Before  this, 
however,  I  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  beautiful 
young  lady.  It  was  love  at  first  sight  with  us  both,  and  I 
became  engaged  to  her  in  the  summer  of  1848.  This,  with 
the  low  state  of  my  finances,  seemed  to  make  it  necessary 
that  something  must  be  done,  and,  with  what  money  I 
could  scrape  up,  leaving  my  creditors  to  vague  hopes, 
and  my  pupil,  now  the  retired  Colonel  L.  L.  Langdon, 
U.  S.  A.,  to  explain  my  sudden  exit  from  the  studio  to 
my  landlord,  the  late  Mr.  Austin,  I  made  my  way  to 
New  York,  where  I  soon  found  a  brig  for  St.  Thomas, 
the  captain  of  which  offered  to  give  me  free  passage  if 
I  would  keep  his  watch  as  second  mate.  My  reason  for 
this  step  was  that  Mr.  Wilgus  had  spent  a  winter  in 
Porto  Rico  and  made  $6,000  by  his  portrait  painting,  and 
I  hoped  to  be  able,  if  not  to  acquire  so  much  wealth,  at 
least  to  get  a  good  portion  of  it,  so  as  to  clear  off  my  in- 
debtedness for  my  board  and  studio  rent  and  leave  some- 
thing handsome  over. 

Behold  me  then  a  sort  of  fugitive  on  board  of  a  brig, 
pacing  the  deck  in  the  night  watches.  Our  passage  was 
short,  and  early  in  February,  1849,  I  landed  in  St. 
Thomas  with  half  a  dozen  portrait  canvases  and  eleven 
dollars  in  my  pocket.  I  had  no  letters  of  introduction, 
but  I  took  board  with  a  Creole  woman,  Azalia  Victoria, 
who  kept  a  very  respectable  boarding-house.    The  charge 

272 


DIFFICULTIES    OF   AN   ARTIST'S   CAREER 

was  a  dollar  and  a  half  per  day.  I  found  that  my  bed- 
room would_serve  for  a  studio,  and  at  once  began  to 
look  for  work.  Fortunately,  one  of  my  fellow  boarders 
was  in  charge  of  the  Atheneum,  a  library  and  club  house 
for  the  gentlemen  of  the  town.  Mr.  Willerup  was  by 
birth  a  Dane,  and  we  became  friends  very  soon.  My  first 
commission  was  the  restoration  of  the  eyes  of  His 
Majesty  King  Frederick  the  Seventh,  which  was  owned 
by  an  officer  under  the  crown.  Then  my  landlady  would 
have  her  portrait.  I  also  painted  the  children  of  an 
American  merchant,  a  Mr.  Pott,  I  think  from  Phila- 
delphia, also  a  Mr.  Moe  and  wife  who  were  connected 
with  the  commander  of  the  fort.  Major  Strandgaard,  who 
treated  me  in  a  very  friendly  manner  until  an  unfortunate 
forgetfulness  of  tact  on  my  part  rather  more  than  cooled 
his  friendship  for  me  during  the  remainder  of  my  stay. 

It  happened  in  this  way:  His  brother-in-law,  a 
Democrat,  was  postmaster  in  Buffalo,  but  the  Whigs  had 
won  in  the  last  election,  and  General  Taylor  was  presi- 
dent-elect. The  conversation  happened  to  turn  on  this 
election,  and  the  question  came  up  whether  General  Tay- 
lor would  appoint  a  successor  to  Mr.  Smith,  the  Major's 
relative.  I  thought  he  would  be  superseded,  but  the  old 
Major  was  quite  sure  a  military  man  like  General  Taylor 
would  be  above  such  small  business  as  to  turn  out  as 
useful  a  rhan  as  Mr.  Smith.  My  reply  was  unfortunate; 
I  forgot  the  relationship  for  the  moment,  and  said  that 
however  capable  a  man  Mr.  Smith  was,  those  who  desired 
a  change  would  allege  as  one  reason  his  intemperance. 
This  was  so  well  known  in  Buffalo  that  it  never  for  a 
moment  occurred  to  me  that  it  was  not  equally  so  by  his 
friends  in  these  islands  (he  was  a  native  of  Santa  Cruz). 
My  words  brought  the  Major  to  his  feet,  and  with  great 
indignation  he  repelled  the  charge.  Realizing  my  faux 
pas,  I  tried  to  smooth  matters  over  by  remarking  that 
I  did  not  mean  to  say  that  Mr.  Smith  was  an  inebriate, 

273 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

but  that  it  was  well  known  that  he  was  no  total 
abstinence  man,  and  that  the  temperance  people  were 
very  active,  and  looked  with  disfavor  on  any  man  who 
even  moderately  made  use  of  intoxicants.  My  explana- 
tion seemed  to  satisfy  for  the  time  being,  but  the  Major's 
manners  ever  afterwards  made  me  feel  that  the  wound 
rankled.  I  really  believe  that  up  to  this  time  no  one  in 
St.  Thomas  was  aware  of  the  brilliant  lawyer's  infirmity. 

My  stay  in  St.  Thomas  was  more  pleasant  than  profit- 
able. Though  I  had  been  fully  occupied  while  there, 
the  remuneration  was  scarcely  such  as  to  place  my 
financial  condition  in  the  list  of  millionaires,  or  even  in 
that  of  those  fairly  well  off  —  millionaires  were  few  in 
those  days.  Besides  those  of  my  patrons  already  men- 
tioned, my  customers  were  of  a  race  renowned  in  all 
ages  for  their  acute  instinct  in  looking  after  their  own; 
they  made  hard  bargains,  to  which  I  was  fain  to  agree, 
but  I  am  not  sure  that  they  got  the  best  of  me  after  all, 
for  when  I  think  of  the  portraits  I  painted,  many  of 
which  were  cabinet  size,  and  all  poor  in  artistic  value, 
due  in  part  to  being  painted  in  haste,  but  more  to  my 
lack  of  skill  in  technique,  I  cannot  avoid  the  reflection 
that  we  were  even. 

Among  the  boarders  of  Madame  Azelia  was  a  very 
pleasant  gentleman,  a  descendant  of  Abraham,  with 
whom  I  became  quite  well  and  pleasantly  acquainted.  I 
once  asked  him  this  question :  "  How  is  it  that  your 
people,  while  you  seem  to  be  square,  and  even  generous, 
in  your  dealings  with  each  other,  are  so  sharp  in  your 
trade  with  Christians?"  "Why,"  said  he,  "don't  you 
know  we  were  told  to  spoil  the  Egyptians?" 

St.  Thomas  is  but  a  rather  good-sized  hill  rising  out 
of  the  ocean.  I  have  crossed  the  island  from  north  to 
south  and  back  again  before  breakfast;  and  yet  it  has 
considerable  variety  in  its  formation,  with  very  pleasant 
walks  and  abundantly  endowed  with  trees  and  vegeta- 

274 


V 

DIFFICULTIES    OF   AN  ARTIST'S   CAREER 

tion  —  all  tropical,  of  course  —  but  not  a  drop  of  fresh 
water,  except  what  comes  in  the  form  of  rain  and  is 
gathered  into  the  large  cisterns,  with  which,  as  in 
Bermuda,  all  houses  are  furnished,  and  much  distress  is 
likely  to  be  felt  in  case  of  prolonged  droughts.  They  tell 
a  story  of  a  Yankee  skipper  who  on  one  of  those  occa- 
sions happened  into  port  with  his  vessel.  Being  loaded 
with  hogsheads  for  the  molasses  trade,  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  turning  the  misery  of  the  inhabitants  to  account 
by  going  to  Porto  Rico  for  water.  Having  filled  his 
casks,  he  returned  to  St.  Thomas,  and  was  ready  for 
business.  Water  had  been  selling  at  from  twenty-five 
to  fifty  cents  a  gallon.  The  distress  was  great,  and  the 
joy  correspondingly  so  at  the  arrival  of  the  needed  ele- 
ment. But  the  worthy  captain,  seeing  a  fortune  in  his 
cargo,  put  so  high  a  value  upon  his  wares  that  those  who 
wished  to  fill  their  cisterns  hesitated  to  give  the  ex- 
orbitant price  he  demanded.  The  following  night  a  great 
storm  arose,  and  a  deluge  of  rain,  lasting  several  days, 
filled  every  cistern  to  overflowing,  and  the  exacting 
captain  was  obliged  to  empty  his  casks  into  the  ocean. 

It  had  been  suggested  to  me  that  I  would  find  Porto 
Rico  a  more  fertile  field  for  my  labors.  Acting  on  this 
hint,  I  left  St.  Thomas  early  in  May  by  a  small  coasting 
vessel  for  San  Juan,  P.  R.,  where,  after  a  very  short 
passage,  I  landed.  The  hotel  was  directly  opposite  the 
governor's  house,  a  fact  that  lives  in  my  memory  by  the 
recollection  of  seeing  his  daughter,  a  girl  seven  or  eight 
years  old,  stark  naked,  playing  in  the  street  in  front  of 
it.  She  was  a  very  beautifully-formed  child,  and  I  made 
a  pencil  sketch  of  her,  which  I  still  possess.  In  fact,  most 
of  the  children  ran  naked;  but,  if  not  altogether  so,  the 
only  dress  for  the  girls  was  a  piece  of  cloth  like  a 
woman's  apron,  open  behind. 

While  waiting  for  something  to  turn  up,  I  made  a 
visit  to  a  house  where,  as  I  learned,  dwelt  a  gentleman 

275 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

whose  two  daughters  were  said  to  be  artists  and  seriously- 
occupied.  I  had  in  some  way  become  introduced  to  their 
father,  who  invited  me  to  call.  I  was  met  by  the  old 
gentleman  himself  at  my  entrance,  received  with  true 
Castilian  politeness,  and  at  once  taken  to  the  studio  and 
introduced  to  the  daughters,  both  of  whom  were  perched 
upon  stagings  and  ladders,  at  work  on  very  large  can- 
vases, the  subjects  being  religious,  and,  I  believe,  intended 
for  churches.  I  cannot  now  recall  the  pictures,  but  my 
impression  is  that  they  were  not  illy  painted,  considering 
that  the  girls  were  working  without  models,  although  I 
thought  that  the  pictures  were  copies.  So  pleased 
the  old  gentleman  seemed  with  my  visit,  that,  on 
taking  my  leave  of  him  at  the  front  door,  he  very  politely 
presented  me  with  his  house,  "  Estea  su  casa"  Needless 
to  say  that  I  had  sufficient  knowledge  of  Spanish  customs 
and  the  sincerity  of  the  offer  not  to  attempt  to  take  him 
at  his  word. 

My  stay  in  San  Juan  was  very  short,  as  I  realized 
that  there  was  nothing  for  me  to  do,  at  least  without  a 
longer  wait  than  I  could  well  afford,  and,  therefore,  I 
took  passage  in  another  coasting  craft  which  brought 
me  to  Guayama,  a  little  town  at  the  southeast  end  of  the 
island.  Here  I  was  fortunate  to  find  a  boarding  place  for 
the  moderate  sum  of  $1.50  per  day.  The  house  was  kept 
by  an  American,  who  had  married  the  owner  of  it,  and 
who  was  a  very  pleasant  man.  There  was  not  many 
boarders,  but  among  them  was  a  German  drummer  by 
the  name  of  Kirchoff,  who  was  pleased  to  let  me  earn  $30 
for  painting  his  portrait,  which  I  must  have  accomplished 
in  less  than  a  week;  it  did  not  take  so  long  to  paint  a 
portrait  then.  There  were  one  or  two  other  boarders  of 
the  same  interesting  occupation  as  my  friend,  and,  as  our 
landlord  was  passionately  fond  of  whist,  it  was  played 
every  evening  for  a  medio  (six  and  a  half  cents)  a  point, 
when  he  always  came  off  loser.     I  could  not  see  where 

276 


DIFFICULTIES    OF   AN  ARTIST'S   CAREER 

the  profits  of  keeping  boarders  came  in,  especially  as  the 
table  was  excellent,  and  the  service  good.  Having  com- 
pleted the  picture  to  the  satisfaction  of  my  employer, 
and  finding  nothing  more  to  do,  I  again  took  passage, 
this  time  for  Ponce,  a  city  of  better  financial  repute. 

I  have  sailed  much  in  West  India  waters,  and  I  know 
nothing  more  pleasant  than  these  short  runs  from  place 
to  place,  being  wafted  along  by  the  balmy  land  winds 
by  night  or  the  fresh  breezes  of  the  trade  winds  by  day. 
The  land  in  sight  is  always  picturesque,  whether  by  day 
or  night,  near  or  at  a  distance,  and  it  has  ever  been  my 
good  fortune  to  have  the  best  behaved  weather  when 
sailing  in  the  tropics.  Like  most  Spanish  West  India 
towns,  the  city  of  Ponce  lies  about  three  miles  from  the 
harbor,  or,  as  it  is  called,  the  port.  The  city  of  Ponce  is 
now  American,  and  too  well  known  to  require  description 
here,  and,  besides,  it  is  more  than  half  a  century  since  I 
was  there.  Notwithstanding  the  well-known  conserva- 
tism which,  owing  to  climatical  and  other  reasons,  obtains 
in  tropical  countres,  especally  such  as  have  been  under 
the  rule  of  Latin  races,  many  changes  must  have  been 
made,  both  in  the  appearance  of  things  and  the  habits  of 
the  inhabitants. 

On  my  arrival  I  found  very  pleasant  board  with  a 
lady  from  Baltimore.  My  bedroom,  which  I  could  also 
use  as  a  studio,  was  in  a  one-storied  structure  of  wood, 
which  enclosed  the  yard  on  one  side  rectangularly  to  the 
main  building,  the  opposite  being  occupied  by  the 
kitchen  and  other  offices.  Fronting  the  house  was  a 
large  and  beautiful  garden,  with  a  large  fountain  in  its 
center,  surrounded  with  a  round  basin,  wherein  we  could 
bathe  at  night  if  so  disposed.  Orange  trees  were  plenty, 
and  other  tropical  fruit  trees,  among  which  I  recall  a 
Brazil-nut  tree,  and,  more  than  all,  a  very  lai^e  mango, 
which  yielded  delicious  fruit.  This  stood  near  my  door, 
and  I  could  at  all  times,  by  climbing  the  roof  of  a  bath 

277 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

house  over  which  its  umbrageous  glittering  dark  green 
boughs  cast  their  shadow,  sit  and  enjoy  its  luscious  fruit 
which  temptingly  hung  by  their  long  stems,  and  from 
which  I  would  select  the  ripest  and  best.  I  was  often 
cautioned  against  them,  as  they  were  supposed  to  be 
unhealthy  if  too  freely  indulged  in,  by  those  around  the 
yard :  "  quidao  la  calentura,"  was  a  warning  I  often 
heard. 

While  on  the  subject  of  fruit,  I  am  reminded  that  I 
once  asked  our  landlady  where  I  could  buy  some  oranges. 
I  was  told  that  I  would  not  find  any  for  sale  in  town, 
that  there  were  plenty  on  the  trees  that  I  could  pick.  I 
told  her  I  did  not  care  to  climb  the  trees.  "  You  can 
get  plenty  at  the  port,"  she  said.  As  I  kept  a  saddle 
horse,  hired  by  the  week,  I  had  him  saddled  and  rode 
down.  Near  the  quay  I  found  an  old  negro  woman  sitting 
in  a  bare  room,  in  which  was  piled  a  heap  of  nice  oranges. 
I  asked  her  to  give  me  a  medio's  worth  (equal  to  six  and 
a  half  cents).  I  was  still  on  my  horse,  and  she  filled  my 
pockets  and  my  folded  arms  full,  and  I  rode  home  to  the 
anticipated  feast,  dropping  oranges  all  the  way.  Another 
thing  which  could  not  be  had  in  small  quantity  for  money 
was  molasses.  Any  one  that  wanted  it  could  get  it  by 
inserting  a  stick  in  the  bung-hole  of  a  hogshead  of  the 
article  prepared  for  shipping. 

As  soon  as  I  was  ready  for  work,  my  good  landlady 
prepared  an  advertisement  for  the  local  paper,  which  I 
think  was  a  weekly.  This  brought  fruit  at  once,  by  an 
order  from  the  Judge  for  a  portrait  of  his  wife  and  him- 
self, both  of  which  I  painted,  but  under  difficulty,  as  I 
had  run  short  of  oil,  and  could  only  obtain  oil  of  almonds. 
I  wonder  if  those  pictures  are  dry  yet !  My  work  began 
early  in  the  morning.  I  rose  at  5  o'clock,  had  coffee 
brought  to  my  room,  and  was  ready  for  work  at  6 
o'clock,  when  my  sitter  would  arrive,  madame  dressed  in 
black  silk,  with  a  little  girl  named  Guadaloupe,  to  save 

278 


DIFFICULTIES    OF   AN   ARTIST'S   CAREER 

her  reputation.  I  had  to  have  my  door  almost  closed  on 
account  of  light,  and  it  was  usually  left  ajar,  Gaudaloupe 
sitting  on  the  threshold  fast  asleep,  as  a  rule.  Madame 
would  complain  of  the  heat  and  gnats,  keeping  her  fan 
going,  and  cursing,  crying,  "  Caramba  que  calor,"  etc. 
After  the  ii  o'clock  breakfast  but  little  work  was  done, 
that  I  could  see,  by  any  one.  We  had  our  siesta  till  3 
o'clock,  when  I  would  have  my  horse  and  ride  out  to  the 
neighboring  hills,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  a  very  nice 
public  bath,  the  warm  water  running  out  of  a  spring  in 
the  rocks  into  a  large  and  commodious  marble  basin, 
which  was  always  overflowing  with  clean  and  tepid  water. 
I  do  not  know  when  it  was  used  by  others,  as  I  never 
found  any  one  near  whenever  I  arrived,  and  thus  had 
the  luxury  all  to  myself.  The  evenings  I  often  spent  in 
a  drug  store,  kept  by  one  Hanna,  an  American,  and  there 
I  found  some  very  curious  characters.  I  recall  a  couple 
of  Spaniards  who  seemed  to  be  regular  habitues.  One 
was  a  fat  old  man,  very  genial  and  pleasant.  He  was 
often  in  hot  dispute  with  a  priest  about  religion,  for  the 
dogmas  of  which  the  latter  fought  hard,  though  his  moral 
character  was  said  to  be  of  the  lowest.  He  was  allowed 
to  preach,  and  was  said  to  be  eloquent,  but  he  was  too 
notorious  to  be  allowed  to  perform  mass  or  any  other 
sacerdotal  duty.  I  was  told  he  often  officiated  in  the 
pulpit,  for  which  he  had  $30  for  each  sermon  he  delivered. 
He  took  a  great  fancy  to  me,  and  was  of  some  assistance 
in  raffling  off  a  picture  I  badly  wanted  to  dispose  of.  On 
one  occasion  phrenology  came  up  as  a  subject  for  con- 
versation. He  felt  my  head  over,  and  exclaimed: 
"  Caramba  que  cabeza !"  going  into  raptures  Qver  what  he 
was  pleased  to  admire,  especially  my  moral  character. 
Turning  to  me,  he  said,  "  Feel  of  my  head ;  io  no  tengo 
morales.  My  father  made  me  a  priest;  I  should  have 
had  the  sword  and  been  a  soldier." 

Quite  near  the  city  ran  a  most  lovely  brook,  with 

279 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

abundant  overhanging  foliage  from  the  picturesque  and 
twisted  trees  about  it.  There  I  would  often  sit  and  enjoy 
the  grateful  shade,  secure  from  interruption  from  either 
man  or  beast.  The  time  came  when  I  must  leave,  but  I 
was  compelled  to  wait  till  an  opportunity  offered,  which, 
after  waiting  more  than  a  week,  was  in  an  American 
schooner  homeward  bound  to  New  York,  wherein  I  was 
fortunate  to  secure  passage. 

It  was  early  in  June,  after  an  uneventful  passage,  that 
I  again  had  the  pleasure  of  scenting  the  new-mown  fields 
of  Staten  Island,  happy  in  the  anticipation  of  meeting  my 
Buffalo  friends  once  more,  with  the  proud  consciousness 
of  being  able  to  make  glad  the  heart  of  my  gentle  and 
forbearing  landlord. 


280 


XXV 

MARRIAGE,  BEREAVEMENT,    GO  ABROAD 

BEFORE  leaving  Buffalo  for  my  West  India  ex- 
periment, I  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  beau- 
tiful young  lady.  It  had  been  love  at  first  sight 
between  us  both.  I  had  proposed  and  been  accepted,  and 
on  the  19th  day  of  January,  1850,  we  were  married.  I 
had  already  made  up  my  mind  to  try  my  fortune  in  New 
York  City,  and  thither  we  wended  our  way.  We  had 
not  been  long  there,  however,  before  I  found  out  that 
success  in  that  metropolis  depended  on  more  experience 
in  my  chosen  calling  than  I  possessed,  and,  after  a  hard 
struggle  through  the  remaining  winter  and  spring,  we 
were  compelled  to  return  to  Buffalo,  a  wiser  couple,  if 
not  richer.  My  wife,  who  in  the  preceding  fateful  cholera 
year  had  almost  been  made  a  victim  of  that  dread  disease, 
was,  soon  after  our  return,  brought  down  with  a 
dysentery  which  in  less  than  four  days  ended  in  her 
death.  I  do  not  care  to  dwell  on  my  bereavement,  which 
was  as  painful  as  any  such  can  be,  the  only  mitigating 
sense  being  the  knowledge  that  her  pure  and  gentle  spirit 
was  at  rest  and  freed  from  the  dark  future  which  now 
seemed  to  stare  me  in  the  face.  God  never  sent  a  more 
beautiful  soul  to  dwell  in  mortal  body  than  that  of  Louise 
Lovejoy,  and  our  love  was  pure,  perfect,  and  sweetly 
mutual. 

As  soon  as  I  could  compose  myself  to  a  return  to  the 
duties  of  actual  life,  I  took  a  studio  and  did  my  best  to 
devote  my  whole  endeavors,  by  hard  study,  to  fit  myself 
for  overcoming  the  difficulties  of  my  profession,  difficul- 

281 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

ties  which  increased  in  direct  ratio  to  my  growing  per- 
ceptions and  expanding  views  of  art.  I  think  it  was 
Goethe  who  said,  in  substance,  that  few,  if  any,  would 
ever  have  ventured  to  devote  themselves  to  art  if  they 
could  have  known  in  advance  the  difficulties  to  be  over- 
come. I  believe  that  this  is  so,  at  least  in  most  cases, 
for  there  are  few  so  gifted  that  their  mental  glance  can 
pierce  the  veil  that  hides  from  the  ordinary  mind  the 
beauties  revealed  in  the  loftiest  form  of  art. 

"  But  to  my  tale."  Soon  after  being  established  in 
my  new  studio,  I  met  Mr.  W.  H.  Beard,  fresh  from  his 
native  Ohio  home.  Our  acquaintance  soon  ripened  into 
a  friendship  never  for  a  moment  suspended  till  his  death. 
Our  intimacy  was  closer  than  that  of  brothers,  for 
brothers  often  quarrel  and  become  estranged.  He  had  a 
studio  which  lacked  the  convenience  of  a  bedroom;  I 
had  a  large  one  back  of  mine,  and  so  I  invited  him  to 
move  his  bed  into  my  room,  which  he  did,  and  for  a  year 
or  more  this  arrangement  held  good.  I  well  remember 
his  coming  and  leaving  his  trunk  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  open  and  empty,  which  I  had  to  bestride  every  time 
I  went  to  bed,  it  never  having  occurred  to  either  of  us 
to  move  it  to  one  side.  I  had  been  troubled  with  neu- 
ralgia, and  my  doctor  (the  late  Austin  Flint,  then  pro- 
fessor in  Buffalo  Medical  College)  had  ordered  shower 
baths.  I  had  got  hold  of  an  old  portable  affair,  found  an 
empty  whiskey  barrel,  filled  it  with  water,  and  used  to 
pour  a  bucketful  into  the  top,  then  get  under  and  pull  the 
string.  Beard  used  to  watch  the  process,  and,  as  I  seemed 
to  enjoy  it,  he  thought  he  would  try  the  same  operation; 
so  one  cold  morning  he  had  me  prepare  the  bath  and  he 
got  under.  The  water,  being  ice  cold,  took  away  his 
breath,  but  he  told  me  that,  though  it  almost  killed  him, 
he  wouldn't  flunk  out.  He  afterwards  accused  me  of  de- 
ceit, when  he  found  that  I  used  to  put  the  tin  pail  full  of 
water  on  the  stove  in  the  studio,  to  take  the  chill  off. 

282 


WILLIAM    H.    BEARD, 
PAINTED    IN    1852 


N.     A. 


MARRIAGE,   BEREAVEMENT,    GO   ABROAD 

About  this  time  there  came  a  sort  of  revival  of  art 
into  our  cit^  This  was  in  great  measure  brought  about 
by  the  arrival  from  Europe  of  Matthew  Wilson,  an  Eng- 
lishman by  birth,  but  closely  connected  by  marriage  with 
one  of  our  most  esteemed  families.  Mr.  Wilson  had  studied 
in  Paris  under  Couture,  and  had  acquired  a  considerable 
dexterity  in  the  lower  forms  of  portrait  painting;  that  is, 
he  could,  with  great  rapidity,  paint  an  easily-recognizable 
likeness,  without  the  painstaking  care  in  modeling  or 
color  which  alone  makes  a  portrait  a  work  of  art  worth 
preserving  for  itself,  even  when  all  are  dead  who  cared 
for  it  as  a  resemblance.  Though  I  do  not  believe  with 
Carlisle  that  ''  genius  is  the  capacity  to  take  infinite 
pains,"  I  am  quite  certain  that  even  genius  will  never 
be  acknowledged  or  appreciated  without  painstaking 
study,  and  that  more  will  be  accomplished  with  moderate 
gfifts,  and  honest  endeavor  towards  excellence,  than  may 
be  done  without  them  by  the  often  misunderstood  pyro- 
technics of  the  most  brilliantly  illuminated  mind.  The 
most  glorious  views  of  the  completest  imagination  require 
the  most  cultivated  technique  to  represent  them  truly  or 
even  faintly,  and,  therefore,  the  artist  must  ever  work, 
ever  be  a  learner,  each  step  but  revealing  a  more  and 
more  unattainable  acquirement.  The  true  artist  fights 
no  rival  but  himself;  excelsior  is  his  motto;  having  done 
his  utmost,  he  must  still  strain  every  nerve  to  do  still 
better.  The  very  effort  often  defeats  his  aim;  he  fails, 
and  even  seems  to  lose  ground,  but  he  perseveres,  and 
later  finds  that  his  strength  has  grown  by  what  it  fed  on ; 
the  goal  may  be  unattainable,  but  he  ceases  his  efforts 
only  with  age,  infirmity,  or  death. 

But  Mr.  Wilson  was  not  only  a  clever  limner,  but  he 
added  to  his  artistic  facility  many  accomplishments 
which  made  him  a  great  favorite  in  society.  To  this  was 
added  a  fine  manly  figure,  always  au  fait  in  dress  and 
manners,  which  made  him  for  the  time  a  social  lion.    His 

283 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

studio  was  soon  filled  with  sitters  at  $50  per  head,  and 
for  a  while  no  one  else  was  so  popular.  In  this  way  the 
little  world  that  then  constituted  the  society  of  Buifalo 
became  greatly  agitated  on  the  subject  of  painting,  and 
even  I  began  to  feel  the  beneficial  influence  of  the  wave. 
Thus  in  one  year  (1852)  I  was  enabled  to  clear  myself 
from  indebtedness  necessarily  incurred  during  my  years 
of  struggle  with  the  difficulties  of  a  calling  to  which  I 
often,  in  my  heart,  questioned  my  right.  Indeed,  I  had 
once  thought  to  engage  in  the  medical  profession,  to 
which  my  anatomical  studies  naturally  led,  and  my  great 
friend.  Dr.  Flint,  once  actually  proposed  to  allow  me  the 
privilege  of  a  year's  study  in  his  office,  after  which  he 
thought  I  might  graduate.  But,  though  I  loved  anatomy, 
and  liked  the  medical  profession,  my  love  of  Art  was  too 
strong  to  permit  me  to  abandon  her,  even  though  already 
I  had  begun  to  discover  she  was  a  mistress  whose  re- 
quirements would  tax  my  utmost  powers  to  satisfy. 

The  late  General  Bennett  Riley  had  made  Buffalo 
his  home  at  that  time,  and  as  he  was  a  fine  subject  for 
portraiture,  as  well  as  one  of  our  most  respected  citizens, 
I  made  bold  to  ask  him  for  a  sitting,  and  to  this  he 
readily  consented.  I  afterwards  learned  that  Wilson, 
too,  had  asked  him.  This  made  me  somewhat  uneasy,  as 
I  highly  feared  a  competition;  nor  was  my  anxiety 
lessened  when  the  General,  at  one  of  the  sittings,  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  concluded  to  have  himself  and 
wife  painted  for  his  house  by  the  one  of  us  whose  picture 
was  preferred  by  the  family.  The  result  was  in  my  favor, 
and  I  need  scarcely  add  to  my  intense  gratification,  not 
for  the  money  alone,  which  I  greatly  needed,  but  even 
more  for  the  encouragement  which  I  so  greatly  stood  in 
need  of. 

I  found  General  Riley  a  very  pleasant  sitter,  easy  to 
entertain  and  full  of  interesting  reminiscences,  which  he 
would  relate  with  characteristic  vim  and  directness.     I 

284 


MARRIAGE,    BEREAVEMENT,    GO   ABROAD 

once  asked  him  if,  in  the  many  battles  he  had  been  in, 
he  had  sometimes  felt  fear.  His  answer  was :  "  I  don't 
know;  I  had  so  much  to  think  about  in  my  duties  that 
I  have  not  had  time  to  think  of  danger,  but  at  Churubusco, 
when  we  were  in  the  chaparral  exposed  to  the  enemy's 
fire  from  three  sides  (I  think  he  said  three  sides),  and 
they  were  mowing  us  down,  I  began  to  think  of  my 
family.  If  I  remember  rightly,  his  regiment  was  at  the 
time  under  General  Twiggs'  command.  General  Riley 
told  me  that  at  the  end  of  the  action  General  Twiggs  had 
requested  him  to  sign  his  report  of  the  battle,  which,  as 
he  found  it  fixed  up  to  conceal  bad  strategy,  by  which 
an  unusually  large  number  of  men  were  lost,  he  refused 
to  sign,  remarking,  however,  that  if  ordered  by  his 
superior  to  do  so  he  would  add  at  the  end  of  his  name 
"  Signed  by  order."  I  believe  General  Twiggs  pressed 
the  matter  no  further. 

During  one  of  our  sittings,  to  keep  up  the  small  talk 
by  which  nearly  every  portrait  painter  hopes  to  call  out 
the  expression  he  desires  to  paint  I  ventured  to  tell  him 
a  story  then  current  among  his  friends  about  an  affair 
in  which  he  figured  as  commander  in  the  Mexican  cam- 
paign. At  that  time  his  rank  was,  if  I  mistake  not,  only 
major,  and  he  was  sent  by  Scott  with  some  900  men 
with  orders  to  take  a  fortified  position  near  Contreras. 
On  their  arrival  the  works  were  reported  to  be  defended 
by  a  force  of  7,000  men,  with  I  don't  know  how  many 
cannon.  A  council  of  war  was  held,  the  consensus  of 
which  was  that  the  post  was  too  strong  for  their  limited 
number.  When  all  had  their  say.  Major  Riley  was  said 
to  have  exclaimed,*"  Gentlemen,  it's  no  use  talking,  we've 
got  to  do  it;  I  have  the  orders  in  my  pocket." 

After  telling  him  the  story  as  I  had  heard  it,  I  asked 
if  it  was  true.  "  No,  no ;  I  didn't  say  I  had  the  orders  in 
my  pocket;  I  only  told  them  that  I  had  the  orders  and 
must  execute  them.     And,"  said  he,  "  we  stormed  the 

285 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

fort  and  took  it.  The  Mexicans  ran  away,  leaving  their 
guns,  two  of  which  were  the  only  ones  they  had  taken 
from  us ;  and  didn't  our  fellows  yell  when  they  saw  them !" 

Dear  old  General,  he  did  not  live  long  after.  Even 
while  painting  his  family  portrait,  the  lupus  on  his  face 
which  ended  his  life  nearly  covered  his  cheek  before  the 
picture  was  finished;  but  his  fortitude  and  cheerful  de- 
meanor never  forsook  him.  In  1853,  as  I  was  leaving 
town  for  Europe,  I  saw  the  last  of  him.  He  was  propped 
up  with  pillows  in  his  carriage,  and  beckoned  me  to  him, 
giving  me  his  hand  and  pressing  mine,  bidding  me  a 
solemn  good-bye! 

It  was  then  thirteen  years  since  I  saw  my  mother, 
my  sisters,  and  my  native  land,  and  my  longing  for  them 
grew  as  my  means  rendered  a  visit  possible.  Thus,  after 
my  debts  were  paid,  I  found  myself  in  possession  of  the 
sum  of  $200,  with  which  I  thought  I  might  venture  to 
make  the  journey.  I  secured  a  passage  on  the  "  City  of 
Glasgow,"  sailing  from  Philadelphia,  and  left  Buffalo 
with  a  buoyant  heart.  My  friend  Beard  saw  me  off  at 
the  train.  It  was  early  in  May,  and  I  remember  as  we 
parted  I  handed  him  my  overcoat  to  take  back,  as  I 
thought  that  crossing  the  ocean  I  should  not  need  it,  but 
I  afterwards  regretted  this  action,  as  the  weather,  though 
fine,  was  far  from  warm  on  the  ocean.  The  fact  was  that 
I  had  never  before  crossed  the  ocean  as  a  passenger. 

The  journey  to  Philadelphia,  whence  I  had  elected  to 
sail,  was  to  me  a  memorable  one,  as  it  was  my  first  ex- 
perience in  a  sleeping  car.  They  were  quite  different  in 
their  arrangement  from  the  present  luxurious  cars,  the 
berths  being  in  three  tiers,  of  which  the  upper  was  simply 
a  narrow  cot,  the  canvas  of  which  being  in  part  supported 
by  cross  bars,  very  nicely  placed  to  make  both  legs  and 
shoulders  as  uncomfortable  as  possible.  It  was  a  hard 
night,  but  morning  and  Philadelphia  came  at  last,  and  all 
was  well. 

286 


MARRIAGE,    BEREAVEMENT,    GO   ABROAD 

I  had  one  day  before  sailing  wherein  to  renew  my 
recollections-of  the  city,  round  which  some  happy  mem- 
ories still  lingered,  but  found  little  satisfaction,  as  all 
seemed  to  be  changed,  and  I  could  not  find  a  single  land- 
mark. It  was  on  the  12th  day  of  May,  1853,  when  I  took 
passage  on  the  "  City  of  Glasgow  "  for  Liverpool.  The 
voyage  was  without  incident  beyond  the  usual  con- 
trivances for  killing  time  while  crossing  the  Atlantic. 
Fine  sunny  weather,  with  fresh  breezes,  favored  us  during 
the  twelve  days  it  lasted,  and,  as  nearly  all  the  passengers 
seemed  to  have  been  immunes  from  sea-sickness,  the 
spacious  deck  presented  a  gay  array  of  pleasant  faces  the 
whole  time. 

One  fine  morning,  when  after  breakfast  I  came  on 
deck,  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  would  like  to  mount  the 
rigging  and  have  a  look  at  the  sea  from  aloft.  When  I 
had  got  about  half  way  up  the  main  rigging,  I  looked 
down  and  saw  the  boatswain  coming  up  behind  me  with 
a  short  piece  of  rope  in  his  hand.  Immediately  realizing 
that  he  came  to  tie  me  for  the  usual  penalty  of  a  bottle 
of  rum  exacted  from  green  passengers  for  going  aloft, 
my  old  sailor's  pride  forbade  me  to  allow  him  to  catch 
me,  and  we  had  a  lively  race,  in  which  I  quickly  left  him 
behind.  Reaching  the  catharpings  under  the  top,  I 
quickly  got  over  to  the  other  side  so  as  to  get  down  on 
deck  before  him;  but  another  of  the  sailors  seemed  sure 
of  catching  me  coming  down,  and  actually  got  his  rope 
over  my  foot,  when,  to  his  amazement,  I  let  go  my  hold 
on  the  shrouds  and  caught  the  topmast  back-stays,  draw- 
ing my  foot  out  of  the  rope,  and  coming  down  head  fore- 
most, reaching  the  deck  amid  the  cheers  of  the  passengers 
and  somewhat  to  the  disgust  of  the  beaten  sailors. 

The  captain  of  the  ship  being  a  Scotchman,  and  much 
in  love  with  Burns,  when  he  found  that  I  could  recite 
"  Tam  O'Shanter,"  would  sometimes,  with  a  chosen  few, 
regale  me  with  a  dish  of  hash  and  a  bottle  of  champagne, 

287 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

after  all  the  rest  had  gone  to  their  rooms  at  night.  I  do 
not  now  recall  his  name,  but  I  learned  that  the  ship  went 
down  with  all  hands  on  a  subsequent  trip  the  same 
season.  I  never  learned  if  the  same  captain  was  in 
command. 

We  arrived  in  Liverpool  on  Saturday,  and  I  spent 
Sunday  there  at  the  Adelphi  in  company  with  some 
gentlemen  from  Philadelphia,  among  whom  I  remember 
with  much  pleasure  a  young  man  of  the  name  of  Catell, 
who,  I  think,  was  studying  for  the  church,  and  a  very 
nice  young  Belgian  engineer  with  whom  I  had  become 
quite  intimate.  He  had  resided  in  fhe  United  States  since 
boyhood,  and,  of  course,  spoke  English  perfectly,  being 
a  gentleman  of  culture  in  all  directions. 

On  Sunday  morning  we  concluded  to  go  to  a  Presby- 
terian church  and  hear  a  celebrated  preacher,  McNeil,  I 
think  his  name  was.  Not  knowing  where  the  church  was 
we  inquired  of  a  policeman.  He  not  only  gave  us  the 
proper  direction,  but  even  took  pains  to  go  a  short  dis- 
tance with  us  to  make  sure.  I  thought  I  would  hand 
him  a  sixpence,  but  did  not  wish  my  friend  to  see  my 
liberality,  so  I  handed  the  coin  to  him  behind  my  back. 
He  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed  deeply,  which  I  thought 
quite  remarkable  for  so  small  a  tip.  In  the  course  of 
our  afternoon  ramble  round  the  city  we  again  met  the 
same  officer  more  than  once,  and  each  time  he  doffed  his 
helmet,  making  deep  obeisance.  At  night,  when  we  were 
ready  to  retire,  I  thought  I  would  take  a  bath,  which  cost 
a  shilling,  and  when  I  came  to  pay,  a  half  sovereign  that 
I  thought  I  had  in  my  pocket  was  missing,  and  I  could 
find  only  a  sixpence.  Oh !  now  I  knew  why  the  poor 
man  had  been  so  humble;  he  must  have  taken  me  for  a 
nabob,  or  at  least  a  lord.  My  friend  suggested  that  I 
ought  to  have  it  rectified.  "  Not  for  the  world,"  I  told 
him ;  "  I  have  been  treated  like  a  lord  for  once,  and  I  am 
not  going  to  spoil  it." 

288 


MARRIAGE,    BEREAVEMENT,    GO   ABROAD 

From  Liverpool  I  took  the  cars  for  York,  where  I 
spent  a  couple  of  days  in  great  admiration  over  its  antique 
walls  and  ruins.  I  also  thoroughly  inspected  its  magnifi- 
cent cathedral,  even  to  ascending  to  the  top  of  the  build- 
ing, whence  a  very  extensive  and  beautiful  view  was  pre- 
sented to  my  eyes.  As  I  had  abundant  time  before  the 
steamer  would  leave  Hull  for  Gothenburg,  I  chose  to  go 
down  the  Ouse  on  a  boat  which  gave  me  time  to  see,  even 
if  I  did  not  always  admire,  its  monotonous  and  uninterest- 
ing banks. 

I  saw  but  little  of  Hull,  and  remember  only  its  fishy 
smell  and  other  oozy  odors.  A  forty-eight  hours'  trip 
brought  us  safely  to  Gothenburg,  where  I  did  not  linger, 
for  the  next  evening  I  was  on  the  smart  little  steamer 
that  was  to  take  me  through  the  Gotha  Canal  to  Stock- 
holm. It  was  early  in  June,  and,  though  the  nights  were 
light,  I  did  not  sit  up  to  watch  the  scenery,  which  is  not 
particularly  interesting  before  you  come  to  the  falls, 
where  the  river  pours  its  waters  over  the  rocks  in  a  tortu- 
ous channel,  a  great  body  of  foaming  water  rushing  down 
a  steep  and  broken  hill,  making  a  series  of  picturesque 
cascades,  the  "  Trollhatta,"  one  of  the  grandest  cataracts 
of  Europe.  It  was  a  dewy  morning  when  the  rocks  were 
reached,  and  I  with  many  others  left  the  boat  to  wander 
at  will  along  the  shrubby  path  that  leads  to  the  height 
above,  while  the  little  steamer  was  slowly  climbing  up 
the  steep  pent  to  reach  the  level  above  which  would  soon 
take  her  into  the  great  Lake  Vetter.  I  cannot  describe 
my  feelings  at  once  more  beholding  my  native  and  from 
childhood  familiar  flowers  which  abounded  on  both  sides 
of  the  narrow  path. 

The  sun  was  already  high  in  the  sky  when  we  again 
boarded  our  boat,  ready  for  our  breakfast,  which  was 
served  a  la  carte  in  a  small  forward  cabin  by  well-bred 
and  nicely-dressed  girls.  One  curious,  and  I  think  unique, 
custom  obtained  here,  which  I  think  speaks  in  favor  of 

289 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  honor  of  my  country.  The  passage  on  the  boat  was 
expected  to  occupy  something  over  forty-eight  hours,  and, 
of  course,  many  meals  must  be  eaten.  Each  person  gave 
his  order  and  himself  wrote  it  down  in  the  book  kept  for 
the  purpose,  all  to  be  paid  at  the  end  of  the  trip.  The 
antipaste  table  (smorgasbord)  with  its  invariable  accom- 
paniment of  Swedish  brandy  (brandwin)  was  always 
free  to  all  who  ordered  regular  meals,  though  a  small 
charge  was  made  if  nothing  else  was  called  for. 

I  will  not  try  to  describe  this  delightful  summer  trip. 
Is  it  not  described  in  Baedeker  and  by  the  multitude  of 
travelers  who  have  exhausted  language  in  its  praises? 
Neither  will  I  attempt  a  description  of  Stockholm  and 
its  charming  entrance  and  environs.  Indeed,  my  haste 
to  reach  my  native  city  and  my  family  compelled  a  speedy 
departure  on  another  steamer  thither  bound  on  her  regu- 
lar trip,  and  the  day  after  my  arrival  at  Stockholm  I  was 
once  more  on  my  beloved  Bothnian  Sea,  after  an  absence 
of  thirteen  years. 

While  going  through  the  intricate  straits  between  the 
rocky  skerries  which  line  the  coast  near  Stockholm,  the 
captain  of  the  boat,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  already 
made,  called  to  me  from  the  bridge,  where  his  presence 
was  needed,  to  introduce  me  to  a  gentleman  whose  ques- 
tions he  was  too  occupied  to  answer.  "  Here,"  he  said, 
addressing  the  gentleman,  "  is  a  man  who  speaks  English, 
and  whom  perhaps  you  will  be  glad  to  meet."  I  found 
that  he  was  an  American,  and  that  he  was  at  the  time 
charge  d'affaires  to  the  Hague,  Mr.  Folsom,  of  New  York, 
a  gentleman  of  high  culture  and  social  standing.  I  need 
not  say  that  he  was  glad  to  find  a  man  whom  he  could 
converse  with,  for  he  understood  not  a  word  of  the 
language  of  the  country.  He  invited  me  to  share  his 
cabin  and  we  at  once  became  friends.  My  familiarity 
with  the  surroundings  enabled  me  to  be  of  use  to  him, 
and  I  invited  him  to  stop  at  my  town  on  his  way  back 

290 


MARRIAGE,    BEREAVEMENT,    GO    ABROAD 

from  Haparanda,  whither  he  was  bound  to  get  a  look  at 
the  midnight  sun,  an  invitation  which  he  accepted,  and 
I  was  thus  enabled  to  give  him  a  pleasant  view  of  the 
ordinary  domestic  life  as  exhibited  in  the  family  of  my 
brother-in-law,  a  prosperous  merchant  and  exporter,  who 
at  the  time  kept  a  fine  carriage  and  horses.  We  had  an 
enjoyable  drive  into  the  adjacent  country,  returning  to 
a  good  lunch,  to  which  native  strawberries  and  cream  in 
abundance  formed  an  important  part.  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  him  in  New  York  afterwards,  when  he  re- 
turned the  compliment  by  a  nice  dinner  at  the  Atheneum 
Club,  of  which  he  was  then  the  president. 

It  was  II  P.  M.,  the  17th  of  June,  when  the  steamer 
landed  me  on  the  wharf  in  my  native  city.  The  first  to 
meet  me  was  the  British  consul,  an  old  playmate  of  my 
own  age.  Although  near  midnight,  it  was  almost  full 
daylight,  and  as  he  was  also  the  agent  of  the  steamboat 
line,  his  presence  was  readily  accounted  for.  As  I  was 
not  expected  I  had  some  doubts  as  to  disturbing  my  rela- 
tives, but  found  that  all  but  my  mother  were  still  up,  and 
she  quickly  made  her  appearance.  As  mother  occupied 
a  large  room  in  a  separate  building,  I  chose  my  quarters 
there,  as  there  was  an  unoccupied  bed  ready  at  hand. 

The  building  was  in  part  on  piles,  so  that  my  bedroom 
window  gave  on  the  river,  where  a  boat  lay  moored,  and 
as  I  was  too  excited  to  sleep,  I  went  down  to  have  a  row ; 
the  night  was  light  and  calm,  and  as  I  slowly  pulled  past 
the  well-remembered  places  so  dear  to  me  from  childhood 
memories,  I  felt  as  if  transported  into  an  enchanted  region 
with  nothing  but  myself  and  silence. 

I  found  my  sister  well  married  to  a  prosperous  gentle- 
man of  noble  and  generous  character,  and  my  mother 
happy  and  well  cared  for.  I  had  not  intended  to  make  a 
long  visit,  but  found  when  the  time  came  to  return,  near 
the  autumn,  that  I  had  squandered  the  money  by  which 
I  hoped  to  pay  my  return  passage.    This  compelled  me  to 

291 


FROM     FORECASTLE     TO    ACADEMY 

resort  to  my  art,  and  I  soon  found  something  to  do  in 
way  of  portraiture,  but  the  prices  were  very  small;  and 
when  I  discovered  that  I  must  remain  through  the  winter, 
I  found  that  the  only  thing  for  me  to  do  was  to  convert 
myself  into  a  schoolmaster,  by  teaching  the  English 
language.  I  soon  had  eighteen  subscribers  on  my  list, 
took  a  room  nearer  to  the  port,  where  most  of  my  pupils 
lived  or  were  employed,  for  they  were  all  young  business 
men  or  bookkeepers,  my  old  friend,  the  British  consul, 
being  one  of  them. 

I  found  that  my  young  friends  with  whom  I  had  thus 
allied  myself  were  a  rather  fast  set;  at  least,  many  of 
them  were  spending  their  winter  vacation  in  a  way  that 
would  not  be  approved  of  in  the  State  of  Maine.  Our 
lessons  were  mostly  oral,  as  we  were  unprovided  with 
English  reading  books  or  grammars,  a  copy  of  Irving's 
Sketch-book  being  the  only  English  work  at  hand.  But 
this  did  not  prevent  fair  advance  being  made,  since  there 
was  no  difference  to  speak  of  between  English  syntax  and 
that  of  our  own,  and  what  they  most  wanted  was  an 
available  commercial  commodity.  A  few  of  my  pupils 
were  able  to  hold  a  limited  conversation  in  English  and 
to  read  with  ability  before  the  winter  was  over ;  but  most 
of  them  preferred  the  card  table  and  sociability,  from  early 
candlelight  till  the  small  hours  of  the  morning,  to  the 
application  of  study  in  dead  earnest. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  I  was  a  sort  of  standing 
guest  of  the  whole  set,  a  pleasure  somewhat  detrimental 
to  my  finances,  as  well  as  to  regularity  of  sober  habits. 
I  also  gave  lessons  in  pronunciation  to  one  of  the  prin- 
cipals of  the  public  schools,  a  clergyman,  and  these  were 
almost  always  accompanied  with  a  glass  of  hot  lubricator 
of  the  vocal  organs.  In  fact,  the  good  old  time  was  still 
in  vogue.  Quite  different  and  more  temperate  ideas 
reigned  on  my  next  visit,  accompanied  by  my  wife  and 
daughter,  nearly  thirty  years  afterwards,  when  I  found 

292 


MARRIAGE,    BEREAVEMENT,   GO   ABROAD 

the  character  of  the  whole  place  changed;  modern  ideas, 
business  rivalry,  and  metropolitan  fashions  had  super- 
seded all  the  old  and  venerated  customs. 

The    spring    had    come,    and    navigation    was    again 
opened,  and  I  began  to  be  anxious  to  return  to  Buffalo, 
but  I  was  compelled  to  wait  for  an  opportunity  for  a  pas- 
sage to  England,  which  had  been  offered  me  on  a  new  brig 
then  loading  for  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  owned  by  a  friend  of 
the  family,  and  commanded  by  one  of  my  old  schoolmates. 
One  evening  a  party  of  my  pupils  had  invited  me  to  a 
six  o'clock  luncheon  at  the  casino,  a  pleasant  resort  near 
the  quay;  and  while  we  were  discussing  our  viands,  I 
suddenly  became  aware  of  some  one  speaking  English 
near  by.    Casting  a  glance  behind  me,  I  found  at  the  next 
table  my  old  friend  the  British  consul  in  desperate  en- 
deavors to  try  to  understand  a  Scotch  sea  captain.    I  over- 
heard the  latter  trying  to  learn  the  whereabouts  of  the 
British  fleet  that  v/as  blockading  in  the  Gulf  of  Finland, 
and  for  which  he  was  bound  with  a  cargo  of  coal.    Taking 
in  the  situation,  I  thought  I  would  surprise  him,  and  in 
that  I  eminently  succeeded.    I  informed  my  friends  that 
I  would  recite  something  in  English,  and  asked  them  to 
watch  the  effect  on  the  captain,  my  back  being  to  hirn. 
Suddenly  I  began  the  opening  verse  of  Tam  O'Shanter : 
"  When  chapman  billies  leave  the  street. 
And  drouthy  nebors  nebors  meet. 
As  market  days  are  wearing  late. 
An'  folk  begin  to  tak  the  gate; 
While  we  sit  bousing  at  the  nappy. 
And  getting  fou  and  unco  happy, 
We  thinkna  on  the  lang  Scots  miles. 
The  mosses,  waters,  slaps,  and  stiles. 
That  lie  between  us  and  our  hame, 
Whare  sits  our  sulky  sullen  dame. 
Gathering  her  brows  like  gathering  storm, 
Nursing  her  wrath  to  keep  it  warm." 

293 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

"  Who  the  hell  are  you  ? "  the  astonished  man  ex- 
claimed. 

"Sir?"  said  I. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  to  think  of  hearing  a  man 
recite  Tarn  O'Shanter  right  by  me,  while  I  have  been  this 
half  hour  trying  to  make  this  man  understand  me.  Where 
did  you  come  from,  anyway  ?  " 

"  I  was  born  in  this  town,"  I  answered. 

"  O !  tell  that  to  the  marines." 

"  It  is  true  for  all  that,  but  I  am  now  a  resident  of 
America,  and  have  been  since  boyhood." 

I  then  joined  him  and  the  consul,  and  was  enabled  to 
straighten  out  their  difficulty  as  interpreter. 

At  last  the  brig  was  ready  to  sail,  and  I  bid  goodbye 
to  my  sister  and  her  family,  and  to  my  mother,  whom  I 
never  saw  again.  Our  passage  to  England  was  without 
event,  but  we  approached  the  English  coast  in  a  heavy 
northeaster,  which  rendered  the  entrance  to  Shields  some- 
what perilous.  The  bar  seemed  to  be  made  of  beaten 
cream,  and  seventeen  other  ships  were  lying  at  anchor 
outside,  waiting  for  tugs  to  tow  them  in.  Our  pilot,  a 
young  and  very  active  man,  informed  our  captain  that  he 
could  safely  take  him  in  if  he  was  sure  the  vessel  was  to 
be  relied  on  in  working  ship.  "  She  is  one  of  the  best," 
the  captain  replied. 

"  All  right,  then,  but  I  must  have  a  first-class  man  at 
the  helm  that  understands  English." 

The  captain,  turning  to  me,  said :  "  Will  you  take  the 
wheel?" 

"  Certainly,"  I  answered,  "  if  I  can  get  that  old  shell- 
back that  is  there  now  to  allow  me  to  relieve  him."  Going 
aft  to  the  wheel,  I  told  him  that  there  was  going  to  be 
smart  work  to  do  in  entering  the  river  and  the  captain 
has  asked  me  to  take  the  helm,  as  he  wanted  the  best  man 
he  had  on  the  forecastle  to  attend  to  business  there. 

"  O !  all  right,  if  the  captain  says  so,"  eyeing  me  very 

294 


MARRIAGE,   BEREAVEMENT,    GO   ABROAD 

curiously  as  he  left  his  post,  for  he  had  no  idea  that  I  was 
anything  but  an  ordinary  traveler.  My  duty  was  no 
sinecure,  for  as  we  went  over  the  bar  the  frothy  state  of 
the  shallow  water  did  not  present  the  usual  resistance  to 
the  rudder,  and  it  became  necessary  to  use  its  full  force  at 
every  order  given  by  the  pilot ;  it  was  "  Hard  to  star- 
board !"  and  "  Hard  to  port  I"  every  moment  till  we  were 
in  the  river  and  out  of  danger. 

My  stay  in  Newcastle  was  short,  I  think  only  over 
Sunday  and  Monday,  but  I  saw  enough  to  satisfy  me  that 
it  was  just  one  big  workshop  of  heavy  iron  works.  One 
thing  I  remember  which  amused  rather  than  annoyed 
me.  Some  of  the  small  boys  threw  stones  at  me,  calling 
me  Russian,  because  I  wore  my  full  beard,  that  custom 
not  being  prevalent  in  England  at  that  time. 

On  my  way  to  Liverpool  in  a  third-class  car,  a  gentle- 
man was  seated  near  me.  We  entered  into  conversation, 
and  he  seemed  very  friendly  to  Americans,  and  very 
desirous  of  learning  all  he  could  about  the  people  and  the 
country.  As  we  approached  a  station  about  fifteen  miles 
from  Newcastle,  he  pointed  out  a  house  on  a  near-by  hill, 
saying  that  it  was  where  he  lived,  and  he  politely  asked 
me  to  leave  the  train  and  be  his  guest  for  a  fortnight! 
My  old  ideas  of  English  exclusiveness  got  a  sudden  shock. 
However,  I  was  compelled  to  decline,  as  I  was  anxious 
to  get  home  after  my  long  absence. 

My  passage  to  New  York  from  Liverpool  was  on  the 
sailing  ship  "  Universe,"  Captain  Bird,  an  old  and  highly 
accomplished  seaman ;  a  brother,  by  the  way,  of  Dr.  Bird 
of  Philadelphia,  who,  he  informed  me,  was  the  author  of 
"  Metamora,"  one  of  the  plays  in  which  Forrest  won 
youthful  laurels,  and  for  whom  I  think  it  was  written. 

As  my  funds  were  low,  I  took  second  cabin  passage, 
which  did  not  entitle  me  to  the  privileges  of  the  cabin, 
but  gave  me  fair  accommodation  in  the  steerage  among 
the  better  class  of  emigrants.    While  we  were  leaving  port 

295 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

I  amused  myself  by  studying  the  ship's  rigging,  as  I  found 
some  innovations  in  the  arrangement  of  certain  parts. 
We  had  in  all  666  passengers,  most  of  whom  were  quar- 
tered in  the  forward  part  of  the  ship.  After  we  were 
fairly  out  in  the  channel  under  full  sail,  the  night  being 
clear  and  fine,  though  moonless,  I  remained  on  deck  till 
all  the  rest  of  the  passengers  had  gone  to  bed,  and  was 
just  about  to  follow  suit,  when  I  heard  the  captain  say, 
in  a  subdued  voice,  but  quickly,  "  Hard  down  your  helm !" 
I  knew  at  once  that  there  was  trouble  ahead  of  some  kind, 
and  looking  out  I  saw  to  windward  on  our  bow  a  large 
ship  bearing  directly  upon  us.  Of  course,  I  realized  that 
a  collision  was  inevitable,  and  anxiously  awaited  the 
shock;  it  came  almost  immediately,  the  head  of  our  ship 
receiving  the  shock,  and  making  fearful  havoc  with  every- 
thing about  the  foremast  of  the  other.  As  we  parted 
company,  by  drifting  past  each  other,  I  saw  that  our 
bowsprit  had  broken  all  the  rigging  about  her  bow,  so 
that  her  foretop  mast  was  broken  off  at  the  cap,  and  all 
the  head  sails  lay  in  a  confused  mass  about  the  foreyard 
and  forecastle,  while  the  main-topgallant  mast  had  fol- 
lowed suit,  etc.  Our  little  captain,  with  some  asperity  of 
language,  as  we  passed  each  other,  wanted  to  know  what 
in  hell  the  other  was  about,  which  the  other  responded  to 
by  saying  that  he  was  asleep  when  it  happened.  He,  of 
course,  realized  that  the  blame  was  his.  Our  damage 
was  small,  consisting  only  in  a  broken  flying  jib-boom, 
which  was  repaired  before  morning. 

The  next  day,  as  I  was  walking  the  deck,  the  captain 
beckoned  me  to  him,  saying,  "  I  watched  you  last  night, 
and  I  want  you  to  understand  that  anything  you  may 
need  for  your  comfort  I'll  see  that  you  have.  Are  you  a 
sailor?"  I  told  him  I  had  been.  "  Yes,  of  course,  I  knew 
that  no  landsman  could  do  what  I  saw  you  do  last  night." 
The  fact  was  that  our  crew  was  newly  shipped,  and  the 
men  were,  as  is  often  the  case  when  just  out  of  port,  more 

296 


MARRIAGE,    BEREAVEMENT,   GO    ABROAD 

or  less  under  the  influence  of  strong  drink,  or  stupid  from 
prolonged  sprees,  and  they  did  not  readily  find  the  ropes 
for  working  ship  in  the  rapid  evolutions  necessary  to 
prevent  what  might  have  turned  out  an  awful  disaster. 
We  had  a  long  but  not  unpleasant  voyage,  during  which 
I  amused  myself  by  painting  the  captain's  portrait;  and 
it  was  October  before  we  arrived  in  New  York.  On 
landing  I  found  myself  possessed  of  $50,  which 
was  not  a  bad  showing,  as  I  only  had  $200  when  I  left 
Philadelphia,  and  my  outing  had  lasted  nearly  sixteen 
months ! 


297 


XXVI 
RESUME    WORK,  SECOND    MARRIAGE, 

"  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men  which  taken  at  the  flood  leads  on 
to  fortune." 

ON  my  return  to  Buffalo  I  took  a  studio  and  re- 
I  sumed  my  work  with  redoubled  vim,  having 
been  fortunate  in  finding  immediate  employment. 
About  this  time  the  tide  that  led  to  my  fortune  appeared 
in  the  form  of  a  lovely  and  cultivated  young  lady.  I 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Caroline  Scott,  the  young- 
est daughter  of  Dr.  William  K.  Scott.  A  mutual 
affection  led  to  an  engagement,  and  on  the  nth  of  June, 
1856,  we  were  married  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lord  at  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church.  Our  outing  on  this  mem- 
orable occasion  made  me  acquainted  with  some  charac- 
teristics of  New  England  habits  and  life,  hitherto  only 
known  through  literature.  This  was  especially  true  of 
our  visit  to  the  birthplace  of  my  wife's  mother  in  Con- 
necticut. The  old  homestead  at  Turkey  Hill,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Hartford,  was  yet  innocent  of  the 
changes  which  the  rapid  march  of  time  has  brought  about 
in  nearly  all  the  rural  as  well  as  urban  parts  of  —  I  was 
about  to  say  our  country,  but  I  may,  with  equal  justice, 
say  the  world.  The  uncles  of  my  wife,  old  men  then,  did 
all  they  could  to  make  our  visit  pleasant.  One  of  them 
piloted  me  up  the  "  mountain,"  at  the  foot  of  which  the 
old  farm  was  situated,  where  could  be  seen  the  celebrated 
Simsbury  Mines,  where  the  prisoners  of  the  revolutionary 
wars  had  been  confined.     The  other  brother  took  me 

298 


RESUME    WORK,    SECOND    MARRIAGE 

fishing  in  a  brook  near  by,  only  inhabited  by  suckers, 
which  he  captured  by  wading  in  with  a  large  scoop  net. 
What  fun! 

In  the  evening  a  silver  pitcher,  filled  with  apple-jack, 
was  handed  round,  to  which  full  justice  was  done  before 
retiring.  Tradition  states  that  in  the  olden  times  a  bag 
of  silver  dollars  was  kept  on  hand,  the  sole  object  of 
which  was  their  use  in  pitching  pennies,  but  that  was 
long  ago.  The  ladies  of  the  house,  as  in  nearly  all  parts 
of  New  England,  were  intelligent,  particularly  so  those 
of  the  younger  generation,  who,  in  culture  and  refine- 
ment, compared  favorably  with  the  generality  of  their 
city  sisters. 

Although  I  did  not  perceive  any  signs  that  advanced 
piety  ruled  the  family,  when  Sunday  came  all  were  ex- 
pected to  be  ready  for  meeting.  The  day  was  one  of 
the  hottest  of  late  June,  and  my  wife  was  travel-worn 
and  needed  rest,  but,  as  we  were  strongly  urged  to  go, 
we  yielded.  The  great  farm  wagon,  a  shaky  old  affair, 
took  us  over  a  rough  and  hilly  road  to  the  meeting  house, 
four  miles  distant,  and  when,  after  the  painful  ordeal,  we 
returned  with  eased  consciences  for  having  been  good 
children,  we  naturally  expected  the  well-earned  reward 
of  a  whole  afternoon  of  lotus  bliss.  Vain  hope,  for  no 
sooner  had  our  post-prandial  digestion  commenced  its 
work  before  the  rickety  old  vehicle  was  at  the  gate  de- 
manding its  victims  for  afternoon  service.  On  my  again 
objecting,  I  was  informed  by  the  head  of  the  family  that 
all  who  staid  in  the  house  must  conform  to  the  rule  which 
required  their  presence  at  meeting  on  Sunday  afternoons ! 
I  found  it  necessary  to  assert  my  new-found  authority 
by  positively  forbidding  my  wife  to  go,  and  this  ended 
the  matter,  though  it  seemed  to  "  spoil  the  whole  thing  " 
for  the  aged  uncle. 

Our  first  objective  point  on  our  wedding  trip  had 
been  to  the  charming  village  of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H., 

299 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

having  been  invited  by  the  Bellows  family,  who  then 
resided  there  at  their  homestead,  where  I  had  spent  many 
happy  summer  days  before  my  marriage.  In  fact,  the 
place  had  almost  become  a  second  home  to  me,  and  every 
rock  and  bush  in  the  "  pasture  "  above  the  house  was  an 
old  familiar  friend.  A  walk  of  half  a  mile  led  to  the 
"  starch  factory  pond,"  a  lovely  retired  spot,  formed  by 
the  damming  of  a  pretty  trout  stream,  and  where  I  some- 
times sketched,  and  quite  as  often  lured  a  trout  or  two 
from  their  lairs  just  below  the  thin  sheet  of  water  which 
in  the  droughty  summer  days  gurgled  among  the  rocks 
below. 

An  excursion  having  been  planned  to  Jaffrey,  a  pleas- 
ant morning  drive  brought  us  there,  whence  the  ascent 
of  doughty  old  Monadnock  could  be  made,  and,  as  I  had 
made  the  ascent  more  than  once,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
acting  as  guide  on  this  trip,  when,  with  my  bride  and 
her  friend,  Mrs.  S.,  from  Buffalo,  we  ascended  the  moun- 
tain. Ah !  I  was  young  and  strong  then.  How  we 
climbed  the  loose  stone  pent  that  led  to  the  top,  and 
how  I  took  my  tired  wife  on  my  back  in  coming  down, 
stepping  with  the  sure  foot  of  a  sailor,  or  a  goat,  from 
rock  to  rock.  Are  not  such  incidents  everlastingly  graven 
on  the  tablets  of  our  memory ! 

My  wife's  most  intimate  girlhood  friends  were  three 
young  ladies  of  exceptional  culture  and  character:  Miss 
Abby  Fillmore,  whose  early  death  was  deeply  felt;  Miss 
Matilda  Stuart,  and  Miss  Julia  F.  Miller.  It  so  happened 
that  the  marriage  of  Miss  Miller  to  Mr.  Frank  M.  Snow, 
a  rising  young  merchant,  took  place  just  a  week  before 
our  own,  and,  as  her  husband's  birthplace  was  Peter- 
boro,  N.  H.,  where  his  family  then  lived,  they  elected  to 
visit  that  beautiful  New  England  village  on  their  nuptial 
outing.  It  had  been  agreed  to  meet  them  there,  as  we 
had  chosen  New  Ipswich  for  our  resting  place.  Thus 
it   was   that   we   had   their   company   in   ascending   old 

300 


MY    PORTRAIT,    AT 
PAINTED    IN    1859 


40 


RESUME  WORK,  SECOND  MARRIAGE 

Monadnock  from  Jaffrey.  Almost  half  a  century  lies  be- 
tween those  hopeful  days  and  the  present,  but  the  friend- 
ship cemented  in  youth  has  never  been  broken;  nay,  it 
seems  to  strengthen  as  the  mellowing  years  bring  them 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  goal  where  time  shall  be  no  more. 

And  Dublin  Pond,  yet  uncontaminated  by  city  vandals 
who  have  since  fringed  it  round  with  cottages,  how 
pleasant  the  drives  around  its  shore,  how  lovely  to  roam 
unchallenged  by  new  owners  about  its  wooded  borders! 
A  picture  that  I  painted  there,  in  which  a  boat  appears 
on  the  placid  lake,  containing  wife  and  self  in  the  act 
of  fishing,  still  hangs  on  the  walls  of  our  house  in 
memoriam.  One  of  our  grandchildren  the  other  day, 
when  informed  that  the  figures  in  the  boat  were  grandma 
and  grandpa,  remarked  that  he  could  not  understand  how 
I  could  paint  myself  in  the  boat. 

But  I  must  leave  dear  New  England,  and  its  youthful 
memories,  for  duties  of  real  and  mundane  life. 

My  marriage  opened  to  me  a  new  vista  into  social  life. 
Heretofore  my  life,  since  my  retirement  from  the  ocean, 
had  been  among  artists,  clergymen  and  their  families,  the 
professors  of  the  medical  college,  with  such  of  the 
younger  physicians  with  whom  I  had  fraternized  while 
pursuing  my  anatomical  studies,  and  a  few  cultivated 
families  who  lived  their  intellectual  lives  apart  from  the 
"  maddening  crowd  "  yclept  "  society."  Naturally  timid, 
and,  though  fond  of  company,  retiring,  the  leisure  hours 
from  my  studio  work  was  spent  alone  with  my  books, 
unless  a  friend  came  in  to  keep  me  company,  or  an  invi- 
tation to  tea  or  evening  in  a  social  family  circle  drew  me 
from  my  den. 

My  wife  belonged,  both  by  right  of  birth  and  associa- 
tion, to  that  charmed  circle  known  as  the  older  citizens, 
whose  title  to  the  distinction  of  leaders  in  society  in  those 
days  remained  unchallenged.  Her  sister  was  the 
wife    of    one    of    the    most    distinguished    members    of 

301 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  bar,  a  law  partner  of  Millard  Fillmore,  afterwards 
destined  to  become  President  of  the  United  States,  while 
Mr.  Hall,  the  other  member  of  the  firm,  most  creditably- 
filled  the  office  of  Postmaster  General,  and  later  shed 
honor  on  his  duties  as  United  States  District  Judge.  My 
brother-in-law,  Solomon  G.  Haven,  was  at  the  time  of  my 
marriage  our  member  of  congress,  where  he  served  three 
terms,  returning  afterward  to  his  practice,  and  leaving, 
after  his  all  too  early  death,  an  enviable  reputation  for 
honor  and  forensic  ability.  Thus  was  I  brought  into  con- 
tact with  a  different  class  of  men,  involving  new  duties, 
greater  responsibilities,  calling  for  increase  of  mental  cul- 
ture; and,  I  may  add,  perhaps  best  of  all,  that  my 
new  environments  gave  fresh  impulse  to  my  artistic 
ambition. 

The  ordinary  life  of  an  artist,  if  he  be  a  painter  of  por- 
traits, does  not  often  furnish  material  of  interest  to  others, 
and  yet  it  seems  to  me  that  an  autobiography  would  be 
lacking  true  spirit  if  no  account  were  taken  of  the  mental 
struggles  incident  upon  studio  work  in  the  earnest  en- 
deavors to  attain  that  excellence  in  technique  which  shall 
enable  him  to  exploit  his  ideal. 

Many  medieval  artists  were  pious  monks,  whose 
simple  faith  found,  or  thought  they  found,  the  inspiration 
they  on  bended  knees  had  sought,  but  even  those  whose 
lives  were  far  from  saintly  often  in  the  privacy  of  their 
studios  sought  saintly  aid.  Even  poor  Haydon,  in  our 
day,  who,  whatever  may  have  been  his  faults  or  short- 
comings, was  sincere,  generally  on  bended  knee  sought 
Divine  assistance  before  commencing  an  important  pic- 
ture. Examples  like  these  prove  the  difficulties  of  an 
artistic  life  and  the  sense  of  impotence  of  our  human 
powers  to  attain  the  ideal  of  a  cultured  imagination. 

If  this  be  so  where  every  advantage  to  study  has  been 
given,  how  much  greater  the  throes  of  almost  agonized 
despair  are  sometimes  felt  by  the   untaught  would-be 

302 


RESUME    WORK,    SECOND    MARRIAGE 

artist  in  striving  to  realize  dreams  of  beauty  or  even  the 
real  artistie-4:ruth  of  nature. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  with  which  I  had  to 
struggle  was  that  I  was  never  satisfied  that  my  methods 
(and  they  were  many,  almost  one  for  each  new  por- 
trait) were  any  of  them  leading  to  the  best  results.  This 
led  to  continued  changes  and  experiments,  and  I  now 
know  that  much  time  was  lost,  and,  what  was  equally  dis- 
couraging, my  works  were  almost  always  unequal  and  of- 
ten labored,  as  I  neither  knew  with  certainty  how  to  begin 
nor  where  to  leave  off.  In  fact,  my  art  idea  had  got  clear 
ahead  of  my  technical  ability.  This  caused  me  infinite 
worry,  and  sometimes  brought  my  temper  up  to  fever 
heat.  When  things  went  wrong  at  sea  my  mind  would 
calm  down  after  a  good  round  of  swear-words ;  but  I  had 
left  off  that  habit,  though  an  occasional  damn  would  come 
out  in  spite  of  bottled-up  restraint.  On  one  occasion,  when 
I  had  failed  to  score  on  a  picture,  I  became  so  excited  that 
I  threw  a  chair  at  the  canvas,  which  I  happily  missed,  but 
broke  the  chair.  Possibly  I  might  have  used  expressive 
language  had  there  not  been  pupils  in  the  next  room  — 
ladies,  too.  However,  I  picked  up  my  poor  chair,  and 
resolved  to  keep  it  for  further  breakings-out  of  anger. 

On  one  subject  I  had  never  been  able  to  be  at  ease; 
that  was  whether,  after  all,  I  had  chosen  rightly  in  adopt- 
ing art  as  my  life  work.  My  early  leaning  had  been 
toward  the  church,  and  I  had,  as  before  explained,  been 
tempted  to  become  a  disciple  of  Esculapius.  Soon  after 
the  decease  of  my  first  wife  I  had  nearly  made  up  my 
mind  to  stop  painting  and  try  to  become  a  minister;  in 
fact,  I  had  begun,  under  the  direction  and  advice  of  my 
friend  Rev.  Montgomery  Schuyler,  to  brush  up  my  Latin 
and  Greek  sufficiently  to  study  divinity  and  take  orders, 
but  had  given  this  up.  But  the  question  had  not  ceased 
to  smolder  in  my  bosom  as  to  whether  art,  after  all,  was 
not  a  waste  of  life  in  the  great  duty  which  all  right- 

303 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

thinking  men  owed  to  society.  The  educating,  civilizing, 
and  refining  part  which  art,  perhaps  only  second  to  re- 
ligion, takes  in  human  ethics  was  to  be  recognized  and 
fully  acknowledged  only  after 'the  thoughtful  experience 
of  more  mature  years. 

Soon  after  our  return  to  Buffalo  I  became  acquainted 
with  Joseph  Warren,  lately  arrived  in  Buffalo  to  become 
city  editor  of  the  Courier,  of  which,  not  many  years  after, 
he  became  the  principal  proprietor  and  editor-in-chief. 
His  wife  and  mine  were  related,  and  very  shortly  an  inti- 
mate friendship  was  formed  between  us,  from  which  I 
derived  much  benefit;  for  Mr.  Warren  was  a  man  of  un- 
common mind  and  force  of  character.  Indeed,  I  think  I 
never  met  a  better  rounded  man,  either  intellectually  or 
morally.  Unselfish,  ever  ready  to  help  a  friend,  some- 
times, indeed,  to  his  own  cost,  his  good  sense  and  clear 
judgment  was  always  at  the  service  of  his  friends,  and  I, 
as  one  of  them,  will  ever  hold  his  memory  in  sacred  keep- 
ing. Buffalo  may  forget  his  services,  but  never  can  be 
relieved  of  the  obligation  it  owes  him  in  its  public  parks, 
its  schools,  its  clean  journalism,  its  library,  and  even  its 
art.  Were  I  to  express  in  tersest  form  my  idea  of  the 
man,  the  words  of  Antony  over  Brutus'  body  occur  as 
eminently  fitting :  "  His  life  was  gentle ;  and  the  elements 
so  mixed  in  him  that  Nature  might  stand  up  and  say  to 
all  the  world.  This  was  a  man." 

About  this  time  some  of  our  musical  young  people 
got  up  a  series  of  home  operas  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Andrews,  whose  versatility  appeared  to  be  without 
bounds.  "The  Postilion  of  Longjumeau "  was  to  be 
given  in  one  of  our  public  halls,  the  St.  James,  I  think. 
Mr.  Sykes  was  organist  and  music  teacher,  taking  the 
Postilion's  role.  I  happened  to  meet  Mr.  Warren,  then 
city  editor  of  the  Courier,  and  he  seemed  troubled  about 
the  lack  of  a  musical  critic  for  his  morning  issue,  saying 
jokingly  to  me,  "  If  you  will  go  and  report  the  opera  for 

304 


RESUME  WORK,  SECOND  MARRIAGE 

me  I  will  give  you  my  ticket."  I  thought  it  would  be 
fun,  and  at  once  accepted,  although  up  to  this  time  I  had 
never  written  a  line  for  the  printer,  and  hardly  knew  one 
note  of  music  from  another.  But  there  was  to  be  a  last 
rehearsal  that  afternoon,  and  thither  I  went  for  the  ma- 
terial of  my  article.  Everything  seemed  to  go  off  fairly 
well.  Those  present  seemed  to  think  that  success  was 
assured.  Mr.  Sykes  sang  his  part  to  the  general  satis- 
faction, and  in  such  musical  jargon  as  I  had  been  able  to 
pick  up  I  wrote  a  highly  complimentary  notice  of  the 
whole,  being  quite  lavish  of  praise  of  Mr.  Sykes'  rendering 
of  the  Postilion's  song.  On  bringing  my  copy  to  Mr. 
Warren,  he  looked  it  over,  saying  that  it  was  all  right, 
remarking,  at  the  same  time,  that  my  composition  was 
quite  Johnsonian.  I  was  delighted  at  my  success.  When, 
however,  at  the  public  representation  in  the  evening, 
everything  seemed  to  go  wrong,  I  became  very  nervous; 
but  the  acme  of  horror  was  not  reached  till  Mr.  Sykes 
broke  down  altogether  in  the  famous  solo  I  had 
enthusiastically  commended.  Mr.  Harroun,  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  paper,  being  present,  I  rushed  up  to 
him  and  begged  him,  for  God's  sake,  to  have  my  report 
changed  to  suit  the  circumstances.  He  told  me  that  he 
would  go  down  to  the  office,  and  promised  to  attend  to 
it  himself.  This  assurance  saved  me  from  a  wakeful 
night,  but  what  was  my  utter  disgust  when  looking  into 
the  Courier  next  morning  to  find  my  unfortunate  literary 
production  just  as  I  wrote  it.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  the  evening  Commercial,  the  rival  political  paper,  had 
a  pleasant  time  in  showing  up  the  acumen  of  the  Courier's 
musical  critic;  this  was  answered  by  Mr.  Warren  in  his 
next  issue  by  taking  stand  that  it  was  hardly  fair  to  be 
severe  on  an  amateur  performance,  and  thus  discourage 
their  honest  endeavors  to  please,  etc.,  etc.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  add  that  this  was  my  last,  as  it  was  my  first, 
attempt  in  the  line  of  musical  criticism. 

305 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

It  was  at  a  meeting  of  "  The  Constellation,"  a 
Shakespeare  Club  made  up  of  a  few  of  my  wife's  friends, 
that  I  first  saw  David  Gray.  This  little  social  enterprise 
was  the  precursor  of  a  larger  and  more  prominent  organi- 
zation which  lasted  many  years,  and  of  which  more 
hereafter.  The  meeting  to  which  I  refer  took  place  at 
the  home  of  David's  uncle,  and  I  was  permitted  to  read 
"  Hamlet,"  solus.  In  an  obscure  corner  of  the  parlor  sat 
a  young  man  in  plain  habiliments,  but  with  a  face  beam- 
ing with  intelligence.  I  had  not  yet  been  introduced  to 
him,  but  it  was  to  him  almost  alone  that  I  read,  for  I 
never  before  saw  such  intelligent  attention.  Later  in 
life,  when  David  Gray  and  I  had  become  firm  friends,  he 
told  me  that  it  was  then  that  he  caught  the  first  glimpse 
of  the  greatness  of  Shakespeare,  for,  though  fairly  well 
educated,  the  tendency  of  thought  in  his  father's  house 
had  been  towards  religious  training  and  domestic  uses 
rather  than  dramatic  poetry.  So  much  for  the  first  meet- 
ing with  this  highly  endowed  and  charming  son  of  old 
Scotia,  whose  brilliant  genius  was  not  long  after  to  be 
incorporated  with  all  that  made  for  the  intellectual  fame 
of  our  city.  'My  limits  do  not  allow  more  than  this  tribute 
to  his  genius,  but  fortunately  his  life  and  literary  works 
have  been  so  ably  exhibited  in  Mr.  J.  N.  Larned's  book 
on  his  "  Life,  Letters,  and  Poems,"  that  anything  from 
me  would  be  altogether  superfluous. 

We  had  about  this  time  an  intellectual  treat  from  a 
gentleman  of  quite  a  different  stamp,  a  man  of  prodigious 
reading  and  still  more  astonishing  power  of  memory,  a 
man  with  gifts  that  ought  to  have  made  him  famous, 
instead  of  what  his  bad  habits  had  made  him,  the 
notorious  Tom  Marshall.  I  often  heard  him  lecture  here, 
and  always,  or  perhaps  with  one  exception,  with  profit 
as  well  as  pleasure.  The  one  exception  is  memorable, 
because  of  an  occurrence  which  has  been  variously  re- 
lated but  not  always  with  realistic  truth. 

306 


MY    WIFE 
PAINTED   IN    1856 


RESUME    WORK,    SECOND    MARRIAGE 

The  hall  was  well  filled  when  Mr.  Marshall  made  his 
appearance,  but  in  such  a  state  of  inebriation  that  he 
even  leaned  kgainst  the  wall  to  keep  his  equilibrium.  He 
began  his  lecture  (which  was,  if  my  memory  serves  me, 
to  be  on  the  subject  of  the  Reformation)  with  something 
about  Adam  and  Eve  in  a  rather  muffled  voice  and 
troubled  articulation.  After  a  few  minutes  a  gentleman 
in  the  audience,  of  pronounced  reputation  for  self-asser- 
tion, cried  out :  "  Louder,  louder !"  This  seemed  to  bring 
the  old  war  horse  of  oratory  to  bay,  and,  after  a  moment's 
pause,  during  which  his  eye  wandered  round  the 
audience,  he  began :  "  In  the  great  Day  of  Judgment, 
when  God  shall  command  the  angel  Gabriel  with  his 
trumpet  to  call  the  assembled  world  before  his  throne 
for  judgment,  that  damned  fool  from  Buffalo  will  be 
crying,  '  Louder,  louder !'  " 

I  confess  I  was  not  particularly  displeased,  as  the 
offender  had,  in  taking  his  seat,  forcibly  put  himself  into 
one  which  I  had  tried  to  save  for  a  lady. 

My  friend  Mr.  Warren  had  been  elected  president  of 
the  Young  Men's  Association.  In  i860,  and  during  his 
administration,  and  largely  promoted  by  him,  the  com- 
mittee on  art  of  that  institution  concluded  to  have  ah 
exhibition  of  art,  principally  American.  This  was  the 
first  of  the  many  following  exhibitions  of  this  kind  west 
of  New  York.  It  was  opened  at  Christmas,  1861,  and 
was  eminently  successful,  notwithstanding  no  proper  hall 
at  that  time  existed  for  such  purpose  in  our  city.  I 
assisted  during  the  work  of  preparation  in  hanging  the 
pictures,  and  was  myself  astonished  at  the  wealth  of  art, 
even  at  that  day,  which  might  be  termed  purely 
American.  Many  of  the  artists  who  then  contributed  are 
now  dead,  but  their  works  live,  and  may  fairly  bear  com- 
parison with  the  present  foreign  works  of  our  country- 
men who  study  and  find  their  motifs  abroad. 

However,  it  was  not  my  fortune  to  be  present  at  the 

307 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

festal  opening  of  this  show,  as  my  honored  brother-in- 
law,  Mr.  Haven,  ceased  his  mortal  journey  the  same  day, 
and  my  services  were  required  in  the  family.  The  success 
of  this  experiment  tended  to  revive  a  slumbering  idea  in 
the  minds  of  some  of  us  artists  anent  a  project  of  forming 
a  regular  art  association  for  a  school  of  art  and  a  per- 
manent art  gallery  in  Buffalo.  I  think  the  credit  for 
inception  of  the  idea  properly  belongs  to  the  memory  of 
Le  Clear,  though  the  intimate  relations  between  him, 
William  H.  Beard  and  myself  were  so  cordial  that  the 
same  thought  on  art  matters  was  common  to  the  trio. 

The  early  history  of  the  Buffalo  Fine  Arts  Academy 
has  been  truthfully  written  by  Mr.  W.  O.  Chapin,  and 
I  need  not  try  the  patience  of  my  readers  by  enlarging 
upon  what,  after  all,  can  have  no  vital  interest  to  any 
but  the  actors,  who,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  are  no 
longer  interested  in  the  affairs  of  this  world.  I  may, 
however,  say  that  without  the  kind  encouragement  and 
material  aid  of  Mr.  John  Allen,  the  then  treasurer  of  the 
institution.  Captain  E.  P.  Dorr,  and  the  ever-ready  help 
of  Mr.  Warren,  Henry  Richmond,  George  S.  Hazard,* 
S.  S.  Jewett,  and  others  of  the  board  of  trustees,  my  task 


*  Since  these  memoirs  were  written  Mr.  George  Star 
Hazard,  one  of  my  most  valued  friends,  has  passed  the  pearly- 
gates.  Full  of  virtues  as  he  was  full  of  years,  he  left  an  un- 
clouded memory.  The  sincere  Christian,  the  model  gentleman 
in  manners  as  well  as  conduct,  in  the  midst  of  the  intricacies 
of  mercantile  affairs  he  ever  found  time  for  civic  duties, 
whether  for  church  or  state.  His  devotion  to  art,  as  witnessed 
in  his  active  endeavor  on  behalf  of  the  B.  F.  A.  A.,  was  only 
overshadowed  by  his  valuable  services  in  the  dark  days  of  our 
strife.  And  in  his  invaluable  contribution  to  our  own 
historical  society  anent  that  trying  period  he  has  left  an 
everlasting  tribute  to  his  patriotism.  How  much  I  owe  to  his 
friendship  and  noble  example  I  cannot  estimate. 

308 


RESUME  WORK,  SECOND  MARRIAGE 

to  keep  up  public  interest  in  our  infant  enterprise  so  as 
to  prevent  its  death  from  lack  of  nourishment  would  have 
been  an  impossible  one.  Neither  was  it  pleasant,  as 
superintendent  and  caterer  for  exhibitions,  to  be  scolded 
by  the  New  York  artists,  to  whom  we  were  obliged 
chiefly  to  look  for  material,  because  so  few  pictures  were 
sold,  though  I  used  to  retort  that  the  establishment  of 
our  academy  was  for  the  general  advance  of  art  rather 
than  the  pecuniary  advantages  of  individual  artists. 
They  began  to  realize  after  a  while  that  my  devotion  was 
real,  and  honored  me  for  it,  becoming  nearly  always  ready 
to  lend  the  desired  aid.  I  made  friends  among  my  brother 
artists  all  over  the  country,  and  that  was  a  gratification 
which  to  me  was  the  chief  reward  for  my  personal 
sacrifices. 


309 


XXVII 

FROM  MY  FORTY-FIFTH  TO  FIFTY- 
SIXTH  YEAR. 

MY  tale  is  already  too  long,  and  yet  I  cannot  close 
without  a  few  words  of  grateful  remembrance 
of  the  happiness  my  social  life  has  afforded  me. 
My  early  life  was,  on  the  whole,  far  from  a  happy  one,  as 
may  be  seen  by  what  has  gone  before.  Far  otherwise 
has  it  been  with  the  latter  half ;  and  yet  even  that  has  not 
been  without  its  thorns.  It  is  the  ordinary  penalty  of  age, 
however  otherwise  happy,  to  outlive  dear  friends,  and 
now,  when  more  than  four  score  years  are  on  me,  I 
realize  their  absence  with  an  aching  heart. 

True,  I  am  enviably  situated  in  a  lovely  home,  with  a 
nice  studio,  where  I  am  yet  able  to  follow  my  lovely  art, 
with  wife,  daughter,  and  grandchildren,  who  all  are 
anxious  to  make  the  few  days  I  yet  may  live  full  of 
domestic  happiness  and  love.  Nor  is  this  all ;  go  where  I 
will,  I  meet  with  nothing  but  kind  and  respectful  consid- 
eration from  young  and  old  who  know  my  name. 

Among  my  pleasantest  remembrances  are  the  delight- 
ful symposia  with  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  David  Gray,  the  poet 
Saxe,  Dr.  William  Wright,  Dennis  Bowen,  and  other  kin- 
dred spirits,  at  Joseph  Warren's  hospitable  home.  Nor 
do  I  forget  the  pleasant  house  parties  at  Mr.  William 
Letchworth's  Glen  Iris,  in  which  I  sometimes  was  per- 
mitted to  take  part.  These  are,  indeed,  precious  memories. 

The  late  Shakespeare  Club,  too,  that  had  a  lively 
existence  of  more  than  two  decades.  Ah !  we,  most  of  us, 
in  its  earlier  days,  read  our  parts  without  the  aid  of 
glasses,  but,  as  time  grew,  one  after  another  found  the 

310 


FORTY-FIFTH    TO    FIFTY-SIXTH    YEAR 

light  poorer  and  the  print  less  distinct  or  smaller.  As  I 
write  I  see  them  yet  beaming  with  intellect  and  friendly 
feeling  asTl^ook  in  hand,  they  meet  and  greet  each  other. 
Prominent  among  them  I  see  the  Honorable  E.  Carlton 
Sprague,  than  whom  neither  bar  nor  society  had  a  purer, 
gentler  or  more  intellectual  exponent,  or  one  more  in 
touch  with  the  great  poet's  ideas.  I  see  Sherman  S. 
Rogers,  another  legal  light  of  equal  virtue,  whose  all 
round  good  humor,  wit,  and  jovial  disposition  made  him 
the  electric  spark  that  fired  us  all  into  explosive  enjoy- 
ment; David  Gray,  too,  whose  innate  sense  brought  light 
into  the  most  obscure  passages  and  gave  to  all  the  finish 
of  his  appreciative  and  poetic  mind.  I  see,  too,  the  serious 
and  gentle  Frothingham,  almost  divine  in  nature  as  in 
office,  learned  in  Shakespeare  as  in  divinity. 

These,  and  others  no  less  worthy  the  Amaranth,  have 
all  passed  the  pearly  gates.  If  I  have  refrained  from  men- 
tion of  our  ladies,  some  of  whom  were  not  a  whit  behind 
our  best  in  appreciation  and  interpretation  of  the  master, 
it  is  because  they  are  yet  living,  and  my  vision  was  of 
shades. 

But,  among  the  survivors,  there  still  walks  the  earth, 
though,  like  myself,  an  old  man,  "  four  score  and  up- 
wards," but  still  in  his  "  right  mind,"  our  best  interpreter 
of  the  great  poet's  work,  James  Osborn  Putnam,  lawyer, 
statesman,  orator,  scholar,  and,  above  all,  the  genial 
Christian  gentleman. 

Two  Presidents  of  the  United  States  have  honored  me 
with  friendship,  Millard  Fillmore  and  Grover  Cleveland, 
and  I  have  even  had  the  pleasure  of  painting  their  por- 
traits. Of  the  former,  I  have  already  spoken  in  mention- 
ing my  wife's  family  connections,  and  I  will  only  add  that 
I  found  him  always  a  m^odel  gentleman,  dignified  and 
polite.  He  was  an  accommodating  sitter,  full  of  anec- 
dotes, which  he  would  relate  with  excellent  effect,  and  in 
his  family  circle  a  most  entertaining  gentleman. 

311 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Cleveland  began  while  he 
was  a  young  lawyer  in  our  city.  We  both  belonged  to  a 
fishing  club.  "  The  Jolly  Reefers  "  was  its  original  name. 
I  may  explain  that  Reefer  had  no  connection,  except  in 
name,  to  the  navy.  We  were  reefers  because  we  fished 
over  the  reefs,  or  stony  places,  in  the  Niagara  River  for 
bass.  I  shall  only  add  that,  though  none  of  us  thought  we 
had  a  possible  President  of  the  United  States  in  our  set, 
I  think  if  we  had  been  told  that  one  of  us  was  to  be  raised 
to  that  high  dignity,  we  would  unanimously  have  pointed 
to  our  dignified,  but  far  from  solemn,  friend  Cleveland. 

It  has  also  been  my  good  fortune  to  be  kindly  received 
by,  and  even  to  form  lasting  friendships  with,  some  of  the 
older  masters  of  American  art,  whose  advice  and  encour- 
agement I  highly  valued.  These  men  did  not  talk  of  art 
for  "art's  sake."  They  believed  that  art  had  a  mission 
beyond  its  technique.  They  sought  with  sincerity  to 
suggest  its  spiritual  ideality  in  their  studies  of  nature's 
beauty  and  character.  In  short,  they  believed  in  high 
ideals,  and  strove  to  reach  them. 

That  their  failures  were  due  less  to  lack  of  technical 
skill  than  want  of  that  public  sympathy  in  matters  of  art, 
which  later  European  travel  and  awakened  interest  in  its 
ethical  value,  aided  by  more  general  and  greater  accumu- 
lations of  wealth,  have  fostered,  is  made  evident  when  we 
remember  that  our  most  prominent  American  painters 
and  sculptors  owe  the  solid  foundation  of  their  ability  to 
their  early  instruction  in  the  school  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Design. 

In  the  realm  of  highest  art  the  works  of  Allston  prove 
the  possibilities  which  American  art  might  have  reached 
had  it  had  the  liberal  support  of  an  enlightened  public 
opinion.  The  brilliant  power  of  Gilbert  Stuart  is  univers- 
ally admitted;  but  even  in  later  times,  the  names  of  In- 
man.  Page,  Elliott,  Harding,  Morse,  and  others  will  be 
undying  proofs  of  native  strength  in  portraiture,  and  we 

312 


FORTY-FIFTH    TO    FIFTY-SIXTH   YEAR 

must  go  far  and  wide  to  find  a  greater  interpreter  of 
nature's  mystery  in  landscape  than  Innes  or  Wyant.  My 
limits  forbid  the  mention  of  many  others  who  have  shed 
luster  on  American  art.  Yet  two  there  were  so  inter- 
woven with  my  own  life  that  I  cannot  leave  them  out  — 
Thomas  Le  Clear,  whose  best  portraits  have  never  been 
excelled  in  some  sterling  qualities  by  any,  and  William 
H.  Beard,  whose  unrivaled  genius  and  original  concep- 
tions will  be  epochy  in  the  history  of  American  art  long 
after  his  ephemeral  critics  shall  have  found  the  oblivion  to 
which  they  were  entitled. 

I  continued  to  exhibit  year  after  year  at  the  spring 
exhibition^  of  the  Academy  of  Design,  and  they  kindly 
hung  my  pictures,  generally  high,  but  probably  not  higher 
than  I  deserved,  till  1872,  when  I  daringly  sent  my  own 
large  portrait,  which  at  last  got  on  the  line,  and  even 
next  to  the  central  piece  in  the  south  room  of  the 
Academy's  galleries.  This  portrait  was  well  received  by 
the  press,  and  greatly  was  I  moved  by  the  sincere  praise 
of  my  brother  artists,  foremost  of  whom  was  Daniel 
Huntington,  doyen  of  the  National  Academy,  and  at  the 
time  its  president.  I  was  elected  associate,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1875  I  received  the  honors  of  a  full-fledged 
Academician. 


313 


XXVIII 

ACADEMICIAN,  TRAVELS  IN  EUROPE 

THE  good-natured  writer  of  fiction  usually  ends 
his  story  with  a  happy  denoument.  It  was  my 
intention  to  follow  his  example  in  these  memoirs, 
closing  with  my  admission  to  the  National  Academy  of 
Design,  the  culmination  of  my  artistic  hopes,  but  mature 
reflection  has  convinced  me  that  they  would  be  even  more 
incomplete  than  they  are  without  some  acknowledgment 
of  the  debt  due  the  companionship  and  example  of  some 
of  the  men  and  women  of  culture  through  whose 
influence  my  mind  has  taken  on  a  healthy  development 
and  formation  of  character,  and  whose  good  opinion  and 
encouragement  have  been  a  spur  to  bring  out  the  best 
that  was  in  me  in  my  endeavor  to  justify  their  judgment. 
In  the  foreground  of  the  panorama  which  memory 
calls  up  from  her  mysterious  recesses  stands  the  grand 
and  genial  Charles  Wendel  Upham,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  in 
whose  family  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  received  on 
familiar  footing.  His  oldest  son  Charles  had  married  my 
wife's  niece.  Ah !  how  well  I  remember  their  happy 
nuptials.  Among  the  youthful  friends  of  the  bridegroom 
who  came  from  New  England  to  the  wedding  was  one 
fated  to  become  Ambassador  to  the  Court  of  Great 
Britain,  and  none  has  shed  greater  luster  to  his  country's 
honor.  Joseph  Choate,  if  my  memory  be  not  at  fault, 
was  the  best  man.  They  had  been  class-mates  at 
Harvard.  Dear,  lovely  Charles  Upham,  beautiful,  good, 
and  bubbling  over  with  sparkling,  inoffensive  wit,  only 
eight  months  after  his  marriage  he  sighed  his  last  in  my 
loving  arms.    Thus  it  was  that  I  became  a  friend  of  the 

314 


ACADEMICIAN,  TRAVELS  IN  EUROPE 

family,  and  precious  is  the  memory  of  the  hours  I  have 
spent  in  that  lovely  old-fashioned  New  England  home, 
redolent  of  learning,  culture,  and  refinement.  Mrs. 
Upham,  the  sister  of  John  and  Oliver  Wendel  Holmes, 
was  of  a  retiring  nature,  due  in  part  to  physical  weakness, 
but  perhaps  more  to  mental  depression,  having  had  an 
unusual  share  of  domestic  grief  in  the  loss  of  a  large 
family  of  children.  Although  she  seemed  averse  to  com- 
pany, she  would  always  give  me  a  hearty  welcome,  and 
in  the  evening  by  the  library  table  she  was  ever  present 
with  a  handkerchief  that  never  got  hemmed,  listening  to 
our  talk,  and  every  now  and  then  injecting  some  witty 
remark  worthy  of  her  distinguished  brothers.  Some- 
times brother  John  came  down  from  his  Cambridge  home 
to  join  us,  but  to  my  deep  regret  I  never  saw  the  Doctor. 
They  were  fond  of  sea  stories,  and  seemed  never  weary 
of  listening  to  a  relation  of  my  adventures. 

It  was  while  speaking  of  my  boyhood,  telling  how  I 
came  to  America  with  Captain  Moriarty,  that  Mr. 
Upham  exclaimed :  "  What,  with  Thomas  Moriarty !  He 
was  a  great  friend  of  mine." 

I  was  gratified  to  learn  that  Mrs.  Moriarty  and  her 
younger  daughter  were  still  living,  and  that  Mr.  Upham 
knew  their  address,  for  I  wished  them  to  know  that  the 
little  Swedish  boy  to  whom  they  had  been  so  kind  had 
not  been  lost.  This  led  to  a  correspondence,  and  thus  I 
learned  later  of  the  death  of  the  dear  old  lady. 

Soon  after  my  election  to  the  Academy,  being  in  New 
York,  I  determined  to  renew  my  acquaintance  in  person 
with  Miss  Ellen  Moriarty,  having  learned  that  she  was 
then  living  in  Greenwich,  Conn.  It  was  forty-two  years 
since  I  saw  her  last,  and  I  could  not  expect  a  recognition. 
I  did  not  give  my  name  to  the  maid  who  answered  the 
door-bell,  only  asking  her  to  tell  her  mistress  that  a 
gentleman  wished  to  see  her.  Soon  a  large  and  mag- 
nificent gray-haired   woman   came   in,   approaching   me 

315 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

with  outstretched  hands.  "  Gustavus !"  was  all  she  said. 
"But,"  said  I,  "how  could  you  know  me?"  "Oh,  from 
your  portrait  in  the  Academy."  Of  course,  I  never  could 
have  known  in  that  stately  woman  of  sixty  the  black- 
eyed  beauty  of  my  youthful  admiration. 

I  have  mentioned  Doctor  J.  G.  Holland  as  a  partaker 
in  our  symposia  round  Mr.  Warren's  hospitable  hearth- 
stone. The  acquaintance  thus  formed  ripened  into  a 
friendship  all  too  early  severed  by  his  untimely  decease, 
but  the  memory  of  which  will  ever  be  one  of  the  most 
cherished  in  my  life.  To  speak  of  Dr.  Holland  as  an 
author  is  foreign  to  my  purpose,  except  to  say  that  he 
never  wrote  a  line  that  was  not  as  pure  as  himself,  nor 
one  that  had  not  for  its  mission  the  bettering  of  his  reader. 
Though  always  genial  and  cheerful  in  company,  there 
was  a  substratum  of  tender  melancholy  in  his  being 
which  I  may  exemplify  by  the  following :  He  was  sitting 
in  my  s1;udio  while  I  was  at  work,  and  I  suddenly  found 
him  shedding  tears.  Thinking  that  something  was  wrong 
with  him,  I  hastened  to  ask  what  the  trouble  was.  His 
answer  was :  "  Tears,  idle  tears ;  I  know  not  what  they 
mean."  I  was  not  as  familiar  with  Tennyson's  writings 
as  I  now  am,  but  I  knew  whence  he  was  quoting. 
"  Sellstedt,"  said  he,  "  I  want  you  to  promise  me  that 
you  will  read  those  verses  ten  times  over."  He  expected 
me  to  have  them  by  heart  by  that  time,  but  it  took  me 
more  than  thirty  times  to  accomplish  it.  Afterwards  I 
was  a  guest  in  his  house  a  week  painting  a  portrait  of 
Mrs.  Holland.  A  more  genial  and  happy  family  I  have 
not  seen;  the  last  I  saw  of  this  noble  man  was  when, 
with  my  wife  and  daughter,  we  were  in  New  York  on 
our  way  to  Europe  in  1880,  when  he  called  to  bid  us 
bon  voyage,  none  of  us  suspecting  that  it  would  be  our 
last  good-by. 

In  my  frequent  visits  to  New  York  to  solicit  the  loan 
of  pictures  from  the  resident  artists  I  was  often  favored 

316 


ACADEMICIAN,  TRAVELS  IN  EUROPE 

with  opportunities  to  meet  other  interesting  people,  male 
and  female^-  I  had  the  entree  to  the  evenings  of  the  lit- 
erary coteries,  and  I  never  failed  to  profit  by  the  privilege. 
How  precious  to  me  now  is  the  memory  of  the  cultured 
crowd  that  filled  Mrs.  Botta's  parlors.  Not  least  of  all 
was  that  charming  lady  herself,  with  her  gentle  ways  and 
cordial  welcome.  Nor  were  the  Sunday  evenings  at  Mrs. 
Youmans',  where  I  was  placed  on  still  more  familiar 
footing,  her  first  husband.  Judge  Lee  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  having  in  his  youth  been  a  protege  of  my  father- 
in-law.  And  the  dear  and  good  Mary  Booth,  whose  even- 
ing circle  I  never  missed  when  opportunity  offered.  It 
was  here  that  I  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  Bigelow,  that 
gifted,  cultured,  eccentric,  but  charming  lady,  whom  I 
afterwards  encountered  at  Mr.  Daly's  house,  where  many 
ladies  of  histrionic  fame  were  present.  Inviting  me  to  a 
seat  on  a  sofa  near  her  she  broke  out  (sotto  voce,  of 
course)  :  "  Mr.  Sellstedt,  who  are  all  these  people?"  Nor 
must  I  forget  the  lamasery  of  Mrs.  Blawatski,  where  my 
friend  O'Donohue,  the  sculptor,  took  me  on  more  than 
one  occasion.  The  grand  old  priestess  was  quite  gracious, 
and  vouchsafed  me  a  good  deal  of  attention,  but  I  remem- 
ber that  when  I  did  not  agree  with  her  opinions  she  was 
not  slow  to  inform  me  that  I  was  a  fool  —  all  in  good 
humor,  however.  I  recall  her  now,  sitting  on  a  high  chair, 
her  red-brown  hair  thick  as  a  mop  —  and  not  unlike 
one  —  smoking  her  everlasting  cigarette,  the  while  utter- 
ing her  oracular  words  to  her  admiring  friends,  of  whom 
none  seemed  more  attentive  than  Colonel  Olcott,  who 
may  be  said  to  have  sat  at  her  feet.  I  confess  that  I  was 
more  amused  than  impressed  by  the  wonderful  stories 
that  she  told  of  her  relation  to  the  occult  powers,  but  all 
the  same  I  am  fain  to  admit  my  admiration  of  the  extent 
of  her  information  and  her  powers  as  a  leader.  She  told 
me  that  she  understood  the  secret  of  life  sufficiently  to 
live  to  any  desired  period.     I  asked  her  how  long  she 

317 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

wanted  to  live.  She  replied  that  150  years  would  satisfy 
her.    She  must  have  changed  her  mind  later. 

Up  to  the  time  of  my  election  to  the  N.  A.  D.,  I  had 
never  seen  an  undoubted  old  master ;  never  having  visited 
the  great  galleries  of  Europe.  It  became  a  longing  desire 
of  my  heart  to  inspect  these  wonderful  efforts  of  genius. 
At  last  my  circumstances  rendered  the  excursion  possible, 
and  early  in  January,  1875,  I  took  passage  in  the  old 
White  Star  liner,  the  "Adriatic,'*  which  in  nine  days 
landed  me  at  Liverpool.  We  had  only  fifty  passengers, 
but  among  them  I  found  a  very  interesting  naval  officer, 
Captain  Greene.  We  were  roommates  and  soon  became 
friends.  He  had  been  with  Worden  in  the  "  Monitor  " 
at  Hampton  Roads,  and,  though  but  a  young  lieutenant, 
had  charge  after  the  captain  received  his  injury  to  the 
eye.  We  parted  in  Liverpool,  but  met  later,  as  he  was 
on  his  way  to  take  charge  of  the  "  Juniata  "  at  Nice. 

My  first  objective  point  in  London  was  the  National 
Gallery,  and  there  for  the  first  time  broke  on  my  wonder- 
ing view  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  great  masters 
of  the  renaissance. 

Frequent  visits  to  this  great  collection  have  made  me 
familiar  with  nearly  all  its  treasures,  but  on  this  my  first 
visit  I  had  a  special  object  in  view:  the  study  of  portraits. 
Giving  an  admiring  glance  at  all,  especially  the  works  of 
the  Venetian  schools,  I  found  myself  before  the  portrait 
of  Rembrant.  My  book-ideas  of  Rembrant  were  that  he 
was  a  sort  of  magician  that  dealt  almost  exclusively  in 
tricks  of  clair-obscur;  but  that  he  could  be  simply  natural 
was  a  revelation.  Here  was  a  portrait  broadly  and  simply 
painted  just  as  I  saw  nature,  and  would  have  represented 
it  if  I  had  had  the  same  ability.  The  lack  of  this  I  felt, 
but  my  courage  rose  for  I  knew  myself  on  the  right 
road. 

My  stay  in  England  was  short,  and  soon  I  was  afloat 
again  on  one  of  those  ridiculous  little  tubs  that  cross  the 

318 


ACADEMICIAN,    TRAVELS    IN    EUROPE 

channel  from  Dover  to  Calais.  There  again  I  met  Captain 
Greene,  and  we  both  remained  on  the  upper  deck  with  the 
captain,  the  only  two  passengers  that  did  not  need  the 
washbowls. 

When  I  was  fairly  settled  in  a  little  hotel  in  Rue 
d'Equiquier,  recommended  me  by  a  Mr.  Dreifus,  one  of 
my  companions  de  voyage  from  New  York.  I  hastened 
to  look  up  my  friend  Healy,  the  American  portrait  painter, 
whose  acquaintance  I  had  made  in  Buffalo  while  he  was 
there  to  paint  the  portrait  of  Mr.  Fillmore  for  the  White 
House.  Though  Mr.  Fillmore's  guest,  Mr.  Healy  found 
it  pleasant  to  spend  his  evenings  at  our  house,  and  as  he 
was  a  charming  gentleman  we  enjoyed  his  society  greatly 
and  thus  we  became  quite  intimate.  I  found  him  keeping 
house  in  a  pleasant  part  of  the  city  with  a  fine  studio  in 
a  garden  pavilion.  His  son-in-law  was  a  fi-ne-looking 
young  French  artist,  whose  name  I  do  not  recall,  but  I 
recollect  that  while  at  dinner,  to  which  I  had  been  invited, 
the  conversation  being  on  the  pictures  in  the  Louvre,  I 
happened  to  speak  of  the  Rembrant  in  London.  "  Ah  \" 
said  he,  "  when  we  Parisians  wish  to  study  Rembrant  we 
go  to  London,  for  our  good  king  Louis  XVIII.  had  those 
in  the  Louvre  thickly  varnished  over,  dirt  and  all,  so  that 
they  cannot  be  seen  to  advantage. 

I  love  the  Louvre,  it  is  so  come-at-able.  I  love  it  best 
on  Sunday,  when  all  the  pictures  may  be  seen  unob- 
structed by  the  crowds  of  copyists,  most  of  whom  seemed 
to  be  regular  manufacturers  for  commercial  purposes. 
Here  I  spent  nearly  all  the  time  allowed,  my  evenings 
being  generally  devoted  to  the  Comedie  Francois.  The 
weather  was  bad  during  the  whole  week,  and  being  a 
stranger  without  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  language, 
I  cannot  say  I  enjoyed  this  so-much-vaunted  em- 
porium of  pleasure,  and  I  was  glad  enough  to  be  on  my 
way  again  towards  more  genial  climes. 

My  first  stop  was  at  Genoa,  where  I  knew  that  some 

319 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

fine  Van  Dykes  were  to  be  seen.  At  Nice  the  solitude 
of  my  compartment  was  disturbed  by  the  invasion  of  a 
couple  of  ladies,  accompanied  by  a  gentleman.  It  did  not 
require  the  name  of  "  Juniata  "  in  gilt  letters  on  the  young 
lady's  hat  to  know  her  at  once  for  an  American ;  nor  the 
everlasting  pince-nez  and  yellow  locks  of  the  male  escort 
to  put  him  down  as  German,  the  manners  and  characteris- 
tics of  both  being  unmistakable.  I  soon  discovered  that 
the  elder  lady,  whom  I  rightly  took  to  be  the  mother,  was 
suffering  from  headache.  The  younger  people  being 
seated  opposite  at  once  began  to  discuss  their  luncheon, 
with  which  they  seemed  amply  provided,  chatting  and 
seeming  totally  indifferent  to  her  comfort.  I  was  seated 
in  the  cozy  corner,  and  as  I  never  can  see  suffering  with- 
out wishing  to  relieve  it,  I  got  up  and  offered  to  change 
seats  with  her  so  that  she  could  rest  her  head  against  the 
cushioned  corner.  She  began  to  make  excuses,  she 
couldn't  think  of  depriving  me  of  the  seat,  etc.,  etc.  I 
simply  took  hold  of  her  gently  and  almost  forced  her  into 
my  place.  She  at  once  rested  her  head  against  the  cushion 
with  an  expression  of  comfort,  saying :  "  Thank  you,  sir ; 
you  must  be  an  American!"  I  took  the  compliment  for 
my  adopted  country,  though  I  am  very  sure  any  Swedish 
gentleman  would  have  done  the  same.  No  remarks  from 
the  opposite  neighbors,  who  continued  their  agreeable 
occupation  of  eating  and  flirting. 

I  am  not  going  to  describe  Genoa,  nor  even  the  beauti- 
ful works  of  art  I  saw  there,  but  I  was  greatly  struck 
with  the  polite  liberality  of  the  owners  of  these  precious 
treasures  in  permitting  travelers  to  examine  them  even, 
as  it  seemed  to  me,  at  times  when  it  might  have  been  in- 
convenient. It  was  Sunday  when  I  hired  a  valet  de  place 
to  guide  me  round,  and  he  seemed  to  find  no  difficulty  in 
being  admitted  wherever  he  went.  In  the  churches,  too, 
and  we  examined  several,  we  had  to  make  our  way  be- 
tween the  kneeling  worshipers,  even  while  the  service  was 

320 


4 

ACADEMICIAN,   /TRAVELS    IN    EUROPE 

going  on,  no  one  seeming  to  think  anything  of  a  stranger 
who  only  came  to  see  the  pictures. 

My  next  stopping  pake  was  Florence.  Here  a  curious 
thing  happened  to  me.  I  started  out  one  day  to  visit  the 
Pitti  Gallery.  Crossing  the  river  I  soon  found  the  grand 
palace  and  going  up  the  broad  marble  steps  I  saw  a  man 
just  ahead  of  me  with  a  paint-box.  He  turned  and  spoke, 
saying:  "Is  this  not  Mr.  Sellstedt?"  "Yes,  but  how  in 
the  world  do  you  know  who  I  am  ?"  "  Oh,"  said  he ;  "  by 
your  portrait  in  the  Academy."  (My  picture  hung  close 
by.)  "  My  name  is  Van  Schaick."  Being  familiar  with 
the  place,  he  pointed  out  the  most  important  works,  which 
of  course,  was  of  great  service  to  me ;  and  when  I  told  him 
I  wanted  to  see  the  Uffizi,  too,  that  day  and  that  I  must 
go,  he  said  he  would  show  me  how  I  could  get  there  with- 
out going  out.  Taking  me  down  some  stairs  into  a  long 
gallery,  which  I  found  full  of  interesting  drawings,  mag- 
nificent tapestries,  and  other  curios  which  occupied  my 
whole  attention  till  I  came  to  an  ascending  flight  and 
found  myself  in  another  no  less  vast  gallery,  where  I  spent 
the  rest  of  the  time  allotted  to  visitors,  and  was  turned  out 
with  the  crowd,  finding  myself  in  an  altogether  unknown 
square,  which  I  afterwards  knew  as  the  Signoria.  Being 
totally  ignorant  of  my  whereabouts,  I  got  into  a  vittorina, 
telling  the  driver  to  take  me  to  my  hotel.  It  took  him 
some  time  to  get  there,  the  scamp  having  driven  me  about 
to  waste  time,  for  I  afterwards  discovered  that  it  was 
quite  near. 

The  next  day  I  thought  I  would  again  visit  the  Uffizi, 
and  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  long  gallery  which  had 
so  interested  me  the  day  before  was  built  over  the  Ponte 
Vecchio  to  connect  the  two  galleries,  I  again  crossed  it 
in  search  of  the  entrance  to  the  Uffizi,  which  I  supposed 
to  be  at  the  back  of  the  Pitti  somewhere.  I  could  not  find 
the  gallery,  but  I  again  found  the  Pitti,  intending  to  go 
through  as  before,  but  it  was  a  "festa  "  and  the  place  was 

321 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

closed.  Returning  to  my  hotel,  I  took  a  walk  after  dinner 
and  suddenly  found  myself  before  the  entrance  to  the 
Uffizi.  Even  then  I  supposed  this  fugitive  gallery  to  be 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  that  my  mind  was  giving 
way,  for  I  believed  that  I  must  have  crossed  the  bridge 
unconsciously.  I  said  to  myself,  "  S.,  you  have  seen  too 
much;  you  must  go  to  bed,  perhaps  your  mind  will  be 
clearer  in  the  morning."  It  was  only  at  breakfast  the 
next  day,  when  I  related  my  adventure  to  a  gentleman  at 
the  table,  that  I  knew  how  I  had  erred. 

Rome  at  last !  Dear  Rome !  how  soon  I  got  to  love  it ! 
Even  though  the  winter  was  one  of  the  worst  kind,  there 
was  to  me  a  sort  of  hallowed  influence  quite  independent 
of  the  rains,  the  frozen  fountains,  the  siroccos,  et  al. 
Much  of  my  enjoyment  was  due  to  the  friends  I  met  and 
made,  but  aside  from  all  living  humanity  there  is  here 
an  indescribable  attraction  in  one's  environment;  here 
the  living  and  the  dead  are  cheek  by  jowl,  where  the 
great  patrician  reveled,  the  cobbler  cobbles  —  and  every 
stone  is  sacred  history.  After  being  fairly  settled,  I  made 
a  hasty  excursion  to  the  south.  Saw  Naples,  drove  to 
Pompeii,  thence  to  Sorrento  with  its  cold  hotels,  sour 
oranges,  and  beautiful  surroundings,  sailed  over  in  a  boat 
to  Capri,  where  I  was  wind-bound  six  days.  On  my  re- 
turn to  Naples  I  did  not  linger  long,  as  I  was  anxious  to 
be  in  Rome  in  time  for  the  carnival.  While  waiting  in 
the  crowd  for  my  turn  to  buy  a  ticket  for  Rome,  a  child's 
voice  reached  my  ear,  calling,  "  Mr.  Sellstedt."  Turning 
round  I  found  a  lady  and  her  young  daughter,  friends 
from  Buffalo.  In  the  coach  with  me  was  an  Italian  whom 
I  took  to  be  a  Jew ;  he  had  with  him  a  large  bag,  the  top 
of  which  was  almost  covered  with  seals ;  on  my  express- 
ing my  curiosity  to  know  why  it  was  so  besealed,  he  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  been  in  Sicily  to  buy  women's 
hair,  and  that  each  seal  represented  a  woman's  head  of 
hair,  of  which  the  sack  was  full.    The  seals  were  custom 

322 


ACADEMICIAN,  TRAVELS  IN  EUROPE 

house  seals,  and  he  said  that  he  had  200  switches 
there. 

It  would  ^tend  these  memoirs  far  beyond  their  scope 
to  detail  the  obligations  I  owe  to  the  friends  I  met  in 
Rome  during  the  winter,  but  I  cannot  omit  this  opportu- 
nity to  express  my  gratitude  to  them.  To  my  old  friend 
C.  C.  Coleman  I  owe  the  entree  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herri- 
man's  hospitable  home,  where  many  delightful  memories 
are  clustered.  To  Mr.  Elihu  Vedder  and  his  charming 
wife  I  owe  equal  thanks.  I  even  remember  the  pleasant 
reception  I  received  from  that  great  and  good  Mr.  Marsh, 
then  our  charge  d'affairs ;  and  lastly,  though  not  the  least, 
are  my  thanks  due  to  my  former  pupil.  Miss  Crawford, 
then  a  student  in  Rome,  through  whose  kind  offices 
my  stay  was  made  pleasant  and  easy  in  various  ways. 

A  chance  meeting  with  a  young  friend  from  Buffalo 
gave  me  the  opportunity  to  assist  at  the  celebration  of  the 
Birthday  of  Rome,  as  it  was  called.  My  friend,  who  was 
an  energetic  traveler,  had  procured  tickets  to  the  Palace 
of  the  Caesars,  from  whence  we  could  have  a  splendid 
view  of  the  illumination  of  the  Coliseum  and  the  adjacent 
ruins.  Victor  Emmanuel  himself  was  among  the  spec- 
tators, conspicuous  in  his  scarlet  surroundings,  as  I  often 
had  seen  him  in  his  frequent  drives  in  the  Pincean. 

Apropos  of  kings,  I  am  reminded  of  a  pleasant  episode 
which  took  place  some  years  later  when  traveling  with 
my  wife  and  daughter  through  Europe.  We  were  on  our 
way  to  Sweden,  taking  in  Copenhagen,  where  we  spent 
a  week  or  more.  On  the  steamer  from  Lybeck  I  had 
become  acquainted  with  some  artists  of  note  on  their  way 
to  Copenhagen  to  attend  the  opening  of  a  great  Pan-Scan- 
dinavian art  exhibition,  which  was  to  take  place  in  that 
city.  Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway,  and  even  Finland, 
which,  though  politically  Russian,  in  all  essential  culture 
and  language  is  Swedish,  and  therefore  in  its  art  naturally 
belonging  to  the  common  brotherhood. 

323 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

The  formal  opening  was  appointed  for  Monday  at  i 
P.  M.  Through  the  influence  of  my  new  acquaintance  I 
received  cards  of  invitation,  which  included  the  private 
opening  ceremonies  in  the  presence  of  the  royal  family,  a 
grand  dinner  to  all  the  artists  present  at  one  of  the  princi- 
pal hotels,  where  about  300  men  were  seated,  visits  by  rail 
to  various  royal  palaces  in  the  vicinity.  In  fact,  we  were 
the  guests  of  the  city  for  four  days.  Precisely  at  the 
appointed  time  the  doors  were  opened  and  the  king  and 
queen,  accompanied  by  the  other  members  of  the  royal 
family,  entered,  followed  by  the  officers  of  the  court. 
Chairs  had  been  placed  for  them  near  the  officiating  poet, 
speaker,  and  the  music.  Directly  opposite  and  quite  near 
were  placed  seats  for  the  invited  guests,  and  among 
them  I  was  seated,  rendering  close  observation  quite  easy. 
I  need  not  say  that  I  used  the  opportunity  to  its  fullest 
extent  during  the  whole  hour  the  ceremonies  lasted.  I 
noticed  that  the  plainest  dressed  were  the  king  and  queen, 
some  of  the  attending  courtiers  and  officers  being  so 
weighted  with  gold  braid  that  it  seemed  as  if  their  clothes 
would  have  stood  up  without  anything  in  them.  The 
opening  ceremonies  consisted  of  an  address  of  some 
length,  a  poem  by  one  of  the  first  poets  of  Denmark,  and 
music.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  opening  function,  the 
king  and  all  his  retinue  rose,  and  all  followed  their 
example.  To  my  surprise,  one  of  my  friends  of  the 
steamboat  walked  up  and  shook  hands  with  the  crown 
princess,  who  seemed  quite  glad  to  meet  him.  He  after- 
wards informed  me  that  he  had  often  had  her  in  his  arms 
when  she  was  a  little  girl,  as  her  father,  Charles  XV.  of 
Sweden,  who  was  himself  an  artist,  had  been  his  friend. 

The  official  ceremonies  being  at  an  end,  all  scattered 
about  the  several  rooms  to  inspect  the  paintings,  of  which 
there  was  a  large  number,  and  many  of  great  excellence. 
I  was  standing  looking  at  a  large  marine  scene  which  I 
was  mentally  criticising,  when  the  king  approached  me. 

324 


ACADEMICIAN,  TRAVELS  IN  EUROPE 

"  Is  that  your  work  ?  "  he  asked  in  Danish.  I  replied  in 
the  negative.  "  Have  you  anything  here  ?  "  was  his  next 
question.  ^  told  him  I  had  not,  that  I  was  traveling  with 
my  family  for  pleasure,  and  that  I  was  an  artist  born  in 
Sweden,  but  residing  in  America  since  childhood,  and 
was  there  by  invitation  of  the  committee.  "  Well,"  he 
said,  "  I  am  right  glad  to  meet  you,"  giving  me  a  cordial 
hand-shake.  He  then  stood  and  looked  a  while  silently 
at  the  picture,  then,  as  if  talking  to  himself,  remarked: 
"  I  wish  I  could  paint  such  a  picture."  Just  then  he  per- 
ceived the  queen  standing  in  the  doorway  beckoning  to 
him,  when  he  left  me  with  a  courteous  bow  to  join  her. 
t  have  often  thought  that  it  was  strange  that  I  was  so 
self-possessed  and  could  be  so  natural.  The  fact  was 
that  his  manner  was  so  cordial  that  I  forgot  that  he  was 
a  king. 

The  limit  set  for  this  hasty  sketch  of  this  my  first 
revel  among  the  treasures  of  mediaeval  art  prevents  my 
lingering  among  these  charming  environments.  After  a 
hasty  glance  at  all  the  galleries  and  churches  of  Perugia 
and  Bologne,  which  enabled  me  to  understand  and,  to 
some  extent,  to  appreciate  the  efforts  of  the  Umbrian  and 
Bolognese,  that  May  in  Venice  will  ever  remain  a  memory 
of  unalloyed  happiness.  While  in  that  enchanting  city,  I 
essayed  to  execute  a  commission  from  one  of  my  friends 
in  Buffalo,  and  thus  I  varied  my  time  between  a  couple 
of  hours  of  painting  and  the  study  of  the  works  of  art 
of  which  the  city  is  so  full.  Needless  to  say  that  most 
of  my  time  was  spent  in  the  Belli  Arti,  among  the 
precious  chef-d'oeuvres  of  the  great  Venetian  masters. 
The  splendid  colors  of  the  Titians,  Palma  Vecchio, 
Bonefaccio  or  others  of  their  contemporaries  were  my 
first  objects  of  worship,  but  after  a  while  the  greatness 
of  Carpaccio  dawned  upon  me  and  I  was  never  weary  of 
studying  the  story  of  St.  Ursula.  I  believe,  after  all,  that 
notwithstanding  my  love  of  the  sensuous  beauty  of  color, 

325 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

the  more  severely  intellectual  with  its  naked  reality  of 
treatment  is  more  lastingly  to  my  liking,  and  of  this  kind 
of  art  these  pictures  certainly  deserve  a  high  place. 

The  churches,  too,  I  haunted.  Unlike  those  of  Rome, 
where  for  the  most  part  only  copies  are  to  be  found,  here 
one  had  a  fair  chance  to  study  the  originals.  I  remember 
on  one  occasion  in  the  San  Zaccaria  the  sexton  invited 
me  to  ascend  a  ladder  near  the  high  altar  to  examine  a 
fine  picture.  The  instance  is  made  rather  memorable,  as 
I  lost  the  fez  which  I  used  to  wear,  it  having  been  appro- 
priated by  a  kneeling  devotee  who  sat  near  me.  I  was 
obliged  to  go  home  bareheaded,  but  fortunately  my 
lodgings  were  not  far  off.  At  another  time  in  the  Frari, 
while  looking  at  the  great  work  of  Titian,  the  Holy 
Family,  casa  Pesaro,  over  the  high  altar,  there  being 
only  myself  with  friend  Grist,  the  amiable  sacristan 
allowed  me  to  climb  up  on  the  altar  for  a  near  view, 
though  when  some  other  forestieri  entered  the  church  I 
had  to  get  down  in  haste. 

I  think  that  one  of  the  deepest  and  most  lasting  im- 
pressions of  my  visit  to  Venice  at  this  time  was  the 
magnificent  wealth  of  art  in  the  Scoula  de  San  Marco. 
A  wonderful  genius,  truly,  was  Tintoretto.  Vasari  tells 
us  that  when  the  brothers  of  San  Marco  wished  to  have 
the  ceiling  of  a  part  decorated  with  painting  four  dis- 
tinguished artists  then  residing  in  the  city  were  requested 
to  make  designs  for  the  work.  Among  these  was 
Tintoretto,  who  straightway  took  the  dimensions  of  the 
space  to  be  filled  and  on  canvas  painted  the  scene,  put  it 
in  its  place,  and  then  cWled  the  members  in  charge  to 
inspect  it.  Objections  being  made  that  they  had  only 
called  for  designs,  he  told  them  that  this  was  the  only 
way  he  designed  his  work,  and,  as  further  objection  was 
made  in  regard  to  cost,  he  made  a  donation  of  it  to  the 
society.  Thus  it  was  permitted  to  remain.  After  this  he 
was  regularly  employed  at  a  certain  salary  to  produce 

326 


ACADEMICIAN,    TRAVELS    IN    EUROPE 

two  paintings  at  each  festa  of  the  saint,  and  thus  every 
available  space  became  enriched  by  the  fertility  of  this 
remarkable  man. 

Leaving  Venice  the  first  of  June,  I  began  my  home- 
ward journey,  tarrying  long  enough  at  Milan  to  see  its 
beautiful  cathedral,  and  that  glorious  ruin  of  art,  the 
Last  Supper,  by  Leonardo  de  Vinci,  which,  in  its  perfect 
state,  must  indeed  have  been  a  marvel,  foreshadowing 
the  best  scientific  technique  in  composition,  color,  and 
design  of  our  day,  while  in  sublimity  and  thoughtful 
treatment  of  a  grand  subject  I  think  it  has  no  rival  in 
painted  art. 

My  way  lay  through  Turin  and  the  still  unfinished 
Mount  Cenis  tunnel,  where  I  recall  an  unpleasant  forty 
minutes  in  darkness,  stifling  smoke,  and  terrifying  ex- 
plosions, as  if  the  whole  mountain  would  fall  to  crush 
us,  but  which  were  only  innocent  torpedoes  to  warn  the 
workers  at  the  outlet  of  the  coming  of  the  train. 

In  Paris  the  Salon  was  open,  and  thus  an  opportunity 
was  furnished  me  to  compare  the  new  with  the  old  in 
art,  and,  though  far  from  blind  to  the  excellent  scientific 
technique  as  exhibited  in  the  works  of  the  best  modern 
painters,  the  idea  forced  itself  upon  me  that  the  great 
masters  of  the  renaissance  were  gigantic  in  intellect  as 
well  as  thoroughly  trained  workmen  and  masters,  and 
that  they  had  brought  art  as  near  perfection  as  was  in 
human  power. 

With  the  exception  of  a  couple  of  studies  from  my 
window  in  Venice,  I  had  devoted  all  my  outing  to 
the  examination  of  the  works  of  the  great  masters, 
thereby  hoping  to  advance  my  technique,  but  beyond  the 
knowledge  which  I  think  every  artist  ought  to  possess 
of  what  has  been  done,  and  may  be  done  in  art,  I  do  not 
think  I  had  made  any  practical  gain.  Nay,  I  am  not 
sure  but  that  my  endeavors  to  equal  them  were  a  positive 
detriment. 

327 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Before  I  went  away,  Nature  had  been  almost  my  sole 
guide,  and  in  that  way  I  had  arrived  nearer  to  the  works 
of  these  models  than  what  I  accomplished  when  trying 
to  bring  out  in  my  own  work  the  peculiar  excellencies  I 
fancied  in  theirs.  True,  they  sought  Nature,  and  each 
in  his  own  way  found  her  —  especially  was  this  true  of 
portraiture.  No  one  has  approached  her  nearer  than 
Raphael,  Titian,  Robusto,  Velasquez,  Rembrant,  and 
some  of  their  contemporaries,  but  I  was  yet  to  discover 
that  any  hopes  I  might  have  of  ultimate  success,  as  far 
as  my  ability  could  insure  it,  lay  not  in  painting 
Velasquez,  Rembrants,  or  Titians,  but  simply  Sellstedt's 
as  well  as  my  powers  enabled  me  to  interpret  Nature. 


328 


XXIX 

REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY  CITIZENS 

ON  my  return  to  Buffalo,  I  found  ready  and  profit- 
able employment  in  portraits  of  older  and  dis- 
tinguished judges  and  lawyers  to  be  placed  in  the 
General  Term  court  room,  and  of  some  of  the  mayors  for 
the  mayor's  office.  In  this  way,  I  secured  the  friendship 
of  some  of  the  most  distinguished  members  of  the  bar. 

My  studio  was  over  the  offices  of  Rogers  &  Bowen,  a 
noble  firm;  and  that  its  high  reputation  has  moulted  no 
feather,  the  names  of  Locke  and  Milburn  abundantly 
testify.  It  was  in  this  office  that  our  distinguished  ex- 
President  Cleveland  finished  his  legal  education.  Henry 
Ware  Rogers,  the  elder  of  this  firm,  was  a  man  of  strong 
personality,  with  strong  convictions,  and  positive  in  his 
manner  of  uttering  them,  but  with  a  jovial  and  kindly 
disposition,  which  made  him  a  popular  and  pleasant  com- 
panion. 

He  was  my  landlord  and  used  to  pay  me  frequent 
visits  in  my  studio.  His  nephew,  Mr.  S.  S.  Rogers,  was 
admitted  to  the  firm  and  eventually  succeeded  him.  I 
remember  Mr.  Rogers  coming  into  my  studio  one  day 
in  a  nervous  manner,  with  a  lowering  look  on  his  face. 
"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  was  my  question.  "  Oh,"  said 
he,  "  nothing,  only  Sherman  hasn't  any  reverence."  I  sus- 
pected that  they  had  differed,  so  I  said :  "  Mr.  Rogers,  I 
can  tell  you  what  the  matter  is;  Sherman  is  too  much 
of  a  Rogers;  is  not  that  it?"  He  broke  out  laughing. 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  guess  that  is  it."  I  knew  that  he 
loved  his  nephew  and  was  proud  of  him.    Not  long  after 

329 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

this  he  gave  up  his  practice  and  moved  to  Ann  Arbor, 
where,  among  the  professors  of  the  university,  he  found 
genial  company  till  his  death  a  few  years  afterwards. 

Nature  had  made  a  masterpiece  of  moral  worth  when 
Dennis  Bowen  was  born.  Nor  had  she  been  niggard  in 
intellectual  endowment,  and  yet  so  evenly  balanced  was 
his  whole  being  that  good,  normal,  and  lucid  common 
sense  seemed  to  dominate  the  whole  man.  Thoughtful, 
reliable,  well  trained  in  the  duties  of  his  profession,  his 
clients  placed  the  utmost  confidence  in  his  judgment  and 
felt  their  interests  safe  in  his  keeping.  Whether  from  lack 
of  forensic  eloquence  or  innate  shrinking  from  publicity, 
his  voice  was  seldom  if  ever  heard  as  a  pleader  in  open 
court,  but  with  all  his  gentleness  he  never  hesitated  to 
speak  his  mind  when  occasion  required.  An  instance  of 
which  I  remember.  A  wealthy  acquaintance  of  his  came 
to  the  office  to  discuss  some  legal  business  in  which  he 
was  interested.  In  the  course  of  their  talk,  Mr.  Bowen 
bluntly  charged  his  interlocutor  with  dishonesty.  "  Why, 
Mr.  Bowen,  you  don't  mean  that;  why  do  you  say  it?" 
"  Because  it  is  true,"  was  the  uncompromising  rejoinder. 

Mr.  Bowen  was  fond  of  fishing.  It  was  indeed  his  only 
diversion  from  his  arduous  work.  Being  the  part  owner 
of  a  small  steam  yacht,  he  with  his  friend,  Joseph 
Warren,  used  to  spend  many  happy  days  on  the  swift 
Niagara  after  muscalonge  and  black  bass.  On  one  occa- 
sion they  succeeded  in  capturing  a  large  muscalonge, 
which  was  photographed  suspended  from  a  pole  between 
the  two  friends.  This  eventually  led  to  trouble  between 
two  other  members  of  the  bar.  There  was  a  trial  in  court 
involving  some  property,  the  late  William  Dorsheimer 
being  retained  by  one  of  the  parties.  Mr.  Bowen  and 
the  late  distinguished  Judge  Smith  had  testified  that  Mr. 
Dorsheimer's  client  could  not  be  believed  under  oath. 
Mr.  Bowen  was  a  very  large  man  and  the  judge  quite 

330 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY   CITIZENS 

under  the  usual  size.  In  his  defense  of  his  client,  Mr.  D. 
used  these  words :  "  Notwithstanding  the  muscalonge 
and  the  minnow  of  the  bar  have  testified,  etc/*  Of  course. 
Judge  Smith  was  highly  offended,  and  indeed  I  think  with 
all  his  real  Christian  character  never  fully  got  over  his 
indignation.  I  spoke  of  his  feelings  to  Mr.  Dorsheimer, 
and  he  regretted  his  hasty  words,  which  he  told  me 
occurred  at  the  time  to  him  by  having  seen  the  piscatory 
picture.  Being  himself  very  large,  he  did  not  realize  the 
feelings  of  a  gentleman  less  colossally  endowed  by  Nature. 
Mr.  Bowen  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Falconwood 
Club  and  of  the  Buffalo  Club,  whose  first  president  was 
Mr.  Fillmore,  his  former  guide  in  law,  for  whom  he  ever 
retained  the  utmost  respect. 

I  have  formerly  alluded  to  Sherman  S.  Rogers  as  a 
favorite  member  of  our  Shakespeare  Club;  if  I  refer  to 
him  again,  it  is  that  I  may  link  myself  in  memory  to  one 
whose  nobility  of  character  and  sterling  worth  as  a  promi- 
nent citizen  and  Christian  gentleman  deserves  more 
fitting  tribute  than  my  poor  pen  can  give.  Of  his  standing 
among  his  professed  peers  it  is  not  for  me  to  judge ;  that 
it  was  enviable  I  know.  In  his  private  life  he  was  for- 
tunate ;  his  wife  was  a  model  of  all  the  charms  which  can 
make  home  happy.  Greatly  blessed  were  they  in  their 
lovely  children,  and  a  more  united  family  was  not  to  be 
found.  I  think  Mr.  Rogers  may  have  had  political  aspira- 
tions, but  if  so  they  were  not  satisfied.  In  every  way 
fitted  for  office,  he  lacked  one  thing  that  contributes  to 
success.  His  bid  for  office  greatly  resembles  that  of 
Coriolanus  before  his  Roman  voters.  Two  proud  to  bend, 
and  conscious  of  the  rectitude  of  his  motives,  he  seemed  to 
lack  the  tact  to  conciliate,  and  some  of  his  worthiest 
efforts  for  the  amelioration  of  the  poorer  citizens  were 
misconstrued  against  him.  The  only  office  he  held  was 
as  president  of  the  Civil  Service  Committee,  a  thankless 

331 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

office  which  was  not  likely  to  advance  his  political 
aspirations. 

Nature  had  endowed  Mr.  Rogers  with  strength  and 
manly  beauty  and  with  a  joyous  disposition.  Witty  and 
appreciative,  he  loved  poetry,  especially  of  the  humorous 
kind,  of  which  he  was  an  excellent  reader  with  great 
power  of  imitating  dialect,  to  the  great  amusement  of  his 
friends.  His  greatest  amusement  was  fishing,  and  he  was 
an  expert  in  luring  an  old  trout  out  of  his  hole.  In 
later  years  he  preferred  the  larger  sports  to  be  found  at 
Narragansett  Pier,  where  striped  bass  became  his  victims, 
and  I  think  the  capture  of  a  thirty-pounder  would  give 
him  greater  pleasure  than  to  win  an  important  lawsuit.  I 
recall  a  week  at  Anthony's,  where  I  was  with  him  as  his 
guest,  as  marked  with  white  in  my  existence.  He  after- 
wards bought  the  place,  and  it  became  his  ordinary 
summer  home  during  the  fishing  season.  Once  while  we 
were  out  fishing,  he  at  his  favorite  rocks  and  I  some  dis- 
tance from  him  on  a  steep  bank  near  "  the  yellow  rock," 
at  about  the  time  to  go  home  in  the  evening  a  thick  fog 
set  in,  so  thick  that  nothing  could  be  seen  that  could  give 
you  your  bearings.  He  had  left  before  me,  while  th,e  house 
could  still  be  seen,  expecting  to  find  me  there  before  him. 
I  had  left  my  place  and  started  to  go  back,  but  got  lost 
in  the  fog  and  walked  round  in  search  of  the  house,  but 
being  a  stranger  it  was  perhaps  half  an  hour  before  I  at 
last  arrived.  My  friend  came  to  meet  me  with  great  joy, 
thinking  that  I  had  slipped  and  fallen  in,  having  been  in 
the  greatest  anxiety  about  me.  The  whole  episode  made 
so  strong  an  impression  upon  him  that  he  was  fain  to  let 
his  feelings  take  a  poetical  turn,  which  resulted  in  a  long, 
humorous  description  in  rhyme. 

After  the  marriage  of  his  children  and  the  unexpected 
death  of  his  lovely  wife,  which  took  place  in  California, 
Mr.  Rogers  used  to  relieve  the  loneliness  of  his  home  by 
a  social  game  of  whist  with  a  few  of  his  chosen  friends, 

332 


THE    SEVEN 
(unfinished  group) 
PAINTED   IN   1885 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY  CITIZENS 

among  whom  none  held  a  more  intimate  place  than  the 
Hon.  James  O.  Putnam,  who,  since  his  return  from  Brus- 
sels, where  he  had  been  charge  d'affairs,  had  lived  with  his 
charming  family  in  happy  retirement.  Another  of  Mr. 
Rogers'  valued  friends  was  Mr.  W.  Johnston,  a  highly 
cultivated  and  agreeable  gentleman  of  leisure.  It  was  at 
one  of  these  symposia  that  I  saw  my  friend  for  the  last 
time.  It  was  a  cold  winter  evening  when  he  sent  his 
carriage  for  Mr.  Putnam  and  myself  to  come  and  dine 
with  him,  Mr.  Johnston,  who  lived  nearer,  being  also  of 
the  party.  After  a  delightful  evening  of  mingled  social 
merriment  and  indifferent  whist,  the  carriage  was  again 
provided,  and  our  generous  host  insisted  on  giving  us 
his  personal  company  to  our  respective  homes.  A  few 
days  later,  he  left  for  California  to  visit  his  gifted  poet 
son,  in  whose  beautiful  home  he  breathed  his  last  after  a 
short  and  wholly  unexpected  illness. 

It  is  given  to  few  to  leave  a  memory  so  universally 
respected  as  that  of  E.  Carleton  Sprague.  In  his  pro- 
fession few  stood  higher;  as  a  thoroughly  cultivated 
gentleman  he  was  the  acknowledged  peer  of  the  best. 
Broad  of  view  and  catholic  in  his  sympathies,  his 
opinions  on  all  questions  bearing  upon  the  welfare  of  his 
country  were  always  treated  with  due  and  respectful  con- 
sideration. Though  firm  in  his  own  beliefs,  he  was  ever 
ready  to  treat  with  respect  those  of  others.  Outside  of 
his  profession  his  tastes  were  wholly  literary;  eminently 
of  a  social  nature,  he  was  happiest  in  his  family  circle 
and  the  company  of  appreciative  friends.  By  nature  re- 
ligious, he  was  no  bigot ;  and  though  Unitarian  by  choice, 
he  was  not  of  those  who  stare  with  compassionate  wonder 
at  an  intelligent  believer  in  orthodoxy.  He  was  a  diligent 
student  of  the  Bible,  which  he  held  in  high  esteem.  As  a 
public  speaker,  he  had  few  equals  in  graceful  style,  always 
scholarly  and  to  the  point,  and  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to 

333 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

listen  to  the  easy  flow  of  his  elegant  English.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  our  Liberal  Club,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  decease  its  president,  and  long  will  his  last  address 
to  that  association  be  lovingly  remembered  by  all  who 
heard  him.  Mr.  Sprague's  mind  was  a  storehouse  of 
beauties  of  literature;  especially  was  it  filled  with  poetic 
extracts.  Naturally  gifted  with  a  good  memory,  he  never 
neglected  to  keep  it  bright;  indeed,  he  told  me  that  it  was 
a  habit  of  his  to  memorize  something  each  morning  while 
making  his  toilet  as  a  memory  exercise.  The  news  of 
his  sudden  death  came  to  me  while  in  Bermuda,  where 
we  had  been  together  only  the  year  before  enjoying  the 
beauties  and  delightful  climate  of  those  happy  isles. 

I  do  not  know  that  I  can  better  or  more  concisely 
express  my  estimate  of  those  highly  honored  and  richly 
gifted  friends,  vSolomon  G.  Haven  and  George  W.  Clinton, 
than  by  copying  the  following  correspondence : 

Hon.   Conrad  Diehl,  Mayor: 

Dear  Sir, — On  a  visit  to  your  office  some  time  ago, 
my  attention  was  called  to  the  portraits  of  the  ex-mayors 
of  our  city,  several  of  which  were  by  my  own  hand.  I  had 
heard  of  an  effort  to  supply  the  missing  ones  by  contract 
and  expected  to  find  a  complete  series,  but  I  found  that 
such  was  not  the  case.  Among  the  missing  were  those 
of  two  men,  either  of  whom,  to  say  the  least,  had  equaled 
the  greatest  or  best,  whether  in  intellect,  attainments,  or 
purity  of  public  life,  and  both  had  been  my  personal 
friends :  George  W.  Clinton  and  Solomon  G.  Haven.  To 
the  latter  I  was  bound  in  family  ties,  and  his  early  death 
marks  one  of  the  saddest  epochs  of  my  life,  and  if  I  be 
spared  with  unimpaired  faculties  a  few  months  longer 
their  "  counterfeit  presentments  "  shall  yet  look  down 
upon  us  from  these  walls. 

At  present  it  is  of  the  former  I  would  speak.  At  my 
advent  in  Buffalo  in  1842,  George  W.  Clinton  was  mayor 

334 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY   CITIZENS 

of  the  city.  I  first  saw  him  when  he  was  delivering  a 
public  lecture,  but  my  acquaintance  with  him  was  formed 
many  years  afterward  and  I  learned  to  admire  his  attain- 
ments. The  friendly  notice  he  was  pleased  to  take  of  me 
in  turn  soon  caused  my  feelings  to  ripen  into  an  affection 
on  my  part  which  I  have  reason  to  think  was  in  part  at 
least  returned;  and  this  is  why  I  desire  to  offer  this 
wreath  in  the  form  of  such  likeness  as  memory,  aided  by 
photograph,  has  enabled  me  to  produce. 

If  I  have  failed  to  portray  his  real  character,  his 
honesty  of  purpose,  his  intense  love  of  nature,  and  his 
faith  in  God,  I  have  only  failed  as  his  own  severe  expres- 
sion of  features  sometimes  failed.  I  can  recall  none  of 
the  makers  of  Buffalo  who  have  left  us  more  deserving  of 
a  green  memory.  It  may  be  that  the  most  he  did  in  its 
material  interest  was  when  as  judge  the  criminal  was 
made  to  quail  before  those  awful  eyes,  or  when  in  judg- 
ment between  man  and  man  he  preserved  his  ermine  pure. 
He  little  cared  for  wealth  except  as  means  for  intellectual 
freedom,  and  it  is  in  the  higher  and  purer  intellectual  and 
moral  atmosphere  that  we  must  look  for  the  results  of 
his  influence. 

His  contributions  to  literature  were  such  as  would 
have  made  him  famous  had  he  cared  for  fame.  Not  only 
his  forensic  studies,  which  occupied  the  earlier  part  of  his 
life,  but  even,  and  perhaps  I  should  say,  especially,  those 
exquisite  letters  to  the  daily  press  descriptive  of  his  dalli- 
ance with  the  denizens  of  outdoor  nature  in  his  rambles 
through  woods  or  by  streams.  While  there  was  nothing 
in  literature  or  science  with  which  this  gifted  man  was  not 
familiar,  his  studies  in  botany  seemed  best  suited  to  his 
retiring  nature ;  and  to  his  intimates,  his  quiet  death  under 
heaven's  own  dome  with  his  favorite  flower  still  in  his 
cold  hand  seemed  a  most  fitting  close. 

Respectfully  yours, 

L.   G.  Sellstedt. 

335 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

Mayor's  Office,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  July  25,  1899. 
L.   G.   Sellstedt,   Esq., 

78  West  Mohawk  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Dear  Sir, — I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  from  you 
of  the  portrait  of  Judge  Clinton  and  your  interesting  com- 
munication accompanying  it,  and  to  express  on  behalf  of 
myself  personally  and  as  mayor  of  our  city,  grateful 
thanks  for  your  valuable  contribution  to  the  gallery  of 
portraits  in  the  mayor's  office.  Your  work  has  received 
the  highest  commendation  and  praise  from  every  person 
who  has  looked  upon  it.  It  brings  us  back  the  past  when 
great  and  good  men  were  our  possession,  and  whose  influ- 
ence and  example  are  still  with  us.  We  cannot  too  often 
be  reminded  of  the  estimable  lives  they  led,  and  the  cul- 
ture and  refinement  they  contributed  to  our  community. 
May  the  sweet  and  sacred  influences  of  their  pure  lives 
ever  remain  with  us  to  guide,  strengthen,  and  elevate  us 
in  our  course  of  life.  Your  communication  containing  so 
much  that  is  historical  and  valuable  will  be  presented  to 
our  Historical  Society,  to  be  preserved  in  their  archives. 

Again  thanking  you  for  your  valuable  present,  I  re- 
main 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Conrad  Diehl, 

Mayor. 

Buffalo,  Oct.  25,  1899. 
Honorable  Conrad  Diehl, 

Mayor  of  Buffalo. 

Dear  Sir, — In  my  former  communication,  where  I 
explained  my  motive  for  offering  to  contribute  that  of 
Judge  Clinton  to  the  collection  of  portraits  of  ex-mayors, 
I  promised  to  paint  one  of  the  late  Honorable  Solomon  G. 
Haven  for  the  same  purpose.  This  picture  is  now  com- 
pleted and  waits  your  acceptance. 

In  laying  this  second  offering  on  the  altar  of  friend- 

336 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY  CITIZENS 

ship,  I  can  scarcely  lay  claim  to  disinterestedness.  The 
happiness  I  feel  in  presenting  the  picture  is  only  equaled 
by  the  pleasure  I  have  had  in  my  work,  when,  as  imagina- 
tion bodied  forth  his  noble  features,  he  seemed  to 
encourage  and  approve  my  efforts. 

To  those  who  knew  Mr.  Haven  well,  anything  like 
panegyric  or  even  historical  reminiscences  would  be 
superfluous,  nor  is  this  the  place,  were  I  able  to  do  justice 
to  his  memory,  to  sketch  even  a  faint  outline  of  his  life 
and  character;  but  the  memory  of  the  greatest  or  best 
suffers  by  time  and  a  whole  generation  has  come  upon 
the  stage  since  his  death. 

But  to  those  who  now  have  our  municipal  welfare 
in  their  keeping,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  say  that  a 
more  fearlessly  honest,  a  more  intelligent  and  clear- 
headed man,  whether  as  eloquent  pleader  in  a  court  of 
justice,  a  patriotic  and  watchful  caretaker  of  our  country's 
honor  or  material  interest  in  Congressional  debate,  or 
as  head  of  the  municipal  affairs  of  the  city  of  Buffalo, 
never  has  occupied  the  mayor's  chair  than  Solomon  G. 
Haven. 

Respectfully  yours, 

L.  G.  Sellstedt. 

I  first  saw  Millard  Fillmore  in  court  and  greatly 
admired  his  noble  and  dignified  appearance  as  he  arose 
to  address  the  jury,  his  carefully  chosen  language,  modu- 
lated tone  of  voice  and  logical  argument.  At  this  time 
Mr.  Fillmore  had  recently  returned  from  his  duties  at 
Albany,  where  he  had  filled  the  office  of  State 
Comptroller,  to  resume  his  law  practice  as  head  of  the 
firm  of  Fillmore,  Hall  &  Haven,  a  firm  second  to  none  in 
legal  acumen  and  professional  honor,  and  in  whose  office 
some  of  the  foremost  members  of  the  bar  in  our  city 
have  held  it  an  honor  to  study  and  graduate.  But  Mr. 
Fillmore's  legal  attainments  and  political  acts  are  history, 

337 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

and  were  I  capable  of  commenting  on  them,  this  would 
not  be  the  place  to  do  it.  I  will  only  observe  that  I 
believe  that  a  more  careful  man  of  entrusted  interests, 
conscientious  counselor,  or  more  patriotic  servant  would 
be  difficult  to  name  among  those  who  have  adorned  the 
bar  of  our  city.  It  is  not,  however,  with  Mr.  Fillmore, 
the  lawyer,  comptroller,  or  even  President  we  have  to  do 
at  this  time,  but  with  Mr.  Fillmore,  the  gentleman  and 
private  citizen,  such  as  I  found  him  and  learned  to  under- 
stand and  to  estimate  his  character.  It  was  only  after  his 
return  from  Washington,  overwhelmed  with  grief  for  the 
loss  of  his  beloved  wife,  and  the  subsequent  death  of  his 
lovely  daughter,  that  I  became  acquainted  with  the  gentle 
and  unpretending  man.  A  self-made  man,  in  youth  he 
found  it  necessary  to  adapt  himself  to  social  habits  requir- 
ing much  tact  and  circumspection.  That  he  came  of  good 
stock  was  evident  to  any  one  who  met  his  plain  but 
dignified  old  father,  a  typical  American  of  the  best  sort, 
or  his  uncle,  the  well-known  Elder  Fillmore  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  who  so  piously  filled  his  sacred  office. 

Prominent  traits  in  Mr.  Fillmore's  character  were 
punctuality  and  exactness  in  all  his  dealings.  This  some- 
times led  those  who  did  not  know  him  well  to  think  him 
close  fisted.  Methodical  in  the  extreme,  he  kept  account 
of  trifles,  only  to  forget  all  about  them,  and  I  have  reason 
to  believe  that  his  liberality,  whether  private  or  public, 
was  commensurate  with  his  means. 

As  to  his  punctuality,  I  recall  an  occasion  on  which 
he  had  failed,  and  it  was  distressing  to  me  to  see  how 
grieved  he  was.  I  was  painting  his  portrait  and  had  ap- 
pointed a  sitting  which  he  failed  to  attend.  When  I 
reminded  him  of  it  I  really  felt  sorry  for  him.  "  Mr. 
Sellstedt,"  said  he,  "  I  am  deeply  grieved,  for  I  have 
prided  myself  on  punctuality,  and  this  is  the  first  time  it 
has  failed.  The  truth  is  I  forgot  all  about  my  appoint- 
ment." 

338 


REMINISCENCES  OF   EARLY  CITIZENS 

Between  the  families  of  the  firm  of  Fillmore,  Hall  & 
Haven  there  had  always  been  intimate  relations.  This 
was  naturally  shared  by  my  wife,  a  younger  sister  of  Mrs. 
Haven,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  the  lovely  and  gifted 
Miss  Fillmore,  whose  sudden  death  from  cholera,  some 
time  before  our  marriage,  left  so  deep  an  impression  on 
the  community  and  caused  such  social  void  to  her  father. 
After  I  entered  the  family  circle  I  saw  much  of  Mr. 
Fillmore  in  a  social  way.  In  his  library  at  home,  where 
we  usually  sat,  his  simple  manner  and  intelligent  con- 
versation were  always  delightful.  He  loved  books,  and 
besides  most  of  the  English  classics,  works  of  reference, 
and  other  works  of  importance,  his  library  contained 
translations  from  literary  and  scientific  works  of 
recognized  value  in  other  languages.  History  and 
geography  were  favorite  studies,  especially  the  former,  a 
goodly  number  of  large  maps  on  rollers  being  con- 
veniently placed  so  as  to  be  ready  at  hand. 

There  was  with  all  the  apparent  serious  dignity  in 
Mr.  Fillmore's  usual  manner,  a  very  marked  humorous 
side,  which  made  him  an  excellent  story  teller,  to  the 
great  amusement  of  his  friends,  when  he  would  give  free 
vent  to  his  humor  and  power  of  character  imitation. 

As  he  was  naturally  of  a  skeptical  turn  of  mind,  I 
think  mysteries  had  little  place  in  his  mind,  and,  though 
attentive  to  the  forms  and  requirements  of  religious  du- 
ties, I  do  not  think  that  he  cared  at  all  for  theological 
studies.  I  remember  he  once  told  me  that  while  in  Lon- 
don he  was  invited  to  attend  a  scene  where  extraordinary 
manifestations  were  expected  of  the  celebrated  medium, 
Hume.  The  whole  thing  turned  out  a  failure,  which  was 
laid  mostly  to  his  utter  unbelief,  which  so  disturbed  the 
spirits  that  they  lost  their  power. 

Mr.  Fillmore  was  an  ideal  sitter  while  I  painted  his 
portraits,  three  of  which  it  was  my  privilege  to  execute. 
He    never    seemed    tired,    and    he    would    tell    pleasant 

339 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

anecdotes  generally  of  his  congressional  experience,  the 
strange  characters  he  had  met,  etc.,  etc.  Once  I  asked 
him  why  he  signed  the  Fugitive  Slave  bill  when  he  must 
have  known  it  would  hurt  his  political  prestige.  He  said 
it  was  by  the  advice  of  Mr.  Webster,  his  Secretary  of 
State.  The  substance  of  it  was  already  in  the  constitu- 
tion, and  it  was  thought  best  to  give  way  to  the  South 
till  the  Territories  were  made  States,  when  a  constitu- 
tional amendment  to  abolish  slavery  could  be  hoped  for; 
in  fact,  Mr.  Fillmore's  respect  for  law  was  one  of  his 
most  marked  characteristics. 

In  this  brief  description  of  men  of  mark  and  nobility 
of  character  who  have  honored  me  with  friendship,  both 
my  head  and  heart  are  in  unison  while  I  acknowledge  the 
beneficial  influence  received  from  the  mental  and  moral 
contact  with  that  pure  and  highly-organized  spirit,  James 
Osborn  Putnam.  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  more  fittingly 
express  my  offering  to  his  name  than  by  quoting  from 
the  remarks  I  was  permitted  to  make  before  the  Historical 
Society  of  Buffalo  on  the  evening  devoted  to  the  honor  of 
his  memory,  and  which  have  already  been  printed  in  the 
Society's  publication :  * 

"  I  need  not  say  that  I  am  proud  to  add  my  mite  to 
this  occasion ;  the  privilege  is  indeed  precious  to  me,  and 
I  esteem  it  a  great  honor. 

"  We  are  here  to-night  to  hallow  the  memory  of  one 
of  our  noblest  citizens.  His  learning,  eloquence,  patriot- 
ism, and  other  civic  virtues  have  been  the  theme  of  the 
able  and  discriminating  address  to  which  we  have  had 
the  pleasure  of  listening,  and  I  feel  sure  that  could  his 
spirit  be  cognizant  of  our  acts,  he  would  be  pleased  that 
his  friend  Larned,  whom,  he  more  than  once  told  me,  he 
regarded  as  Buffalo's  first  living  citizen,  had  been  chosen 
'  speaker  of  his  living  actions.' 

"  My  own  meagre  and  imperfect  tribute  must  needs 

340 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY   CITIZENS 

be  purely  personal.  It  is  the  overflow  of  a  heart  full  of 
love  which  I  have  reason  to  believe  was  to  some  degree 
mutual.  I  often  wondered  what  in  me  he  found  to  honor 
with  his  friendship.  Art  it  certainly  was  not;  perhaps 
for  that  he  cared  too  little ;  it  may  have  been  our  common 
devotion  to  the  genius  of  Shakespeare;  or  it  may  have 
been  that  mysterious  and  subtle  something  which  an  old 
and  very  intelligent  Shaker  I  used  to  know  called  my 
soul-atmosphere. 

"  Although  I  long  had  known  Mr.  Putnam  as  an  able 
and  highly-respected  member  of  the  bar,  a  trusted  officer 
of  government,  a  cultivated  gentleman,  and  generally 
distinguished  citizen,  it  was  not  till  my  admission  to  the 
Shakespeare  Club,  of  which  he  was  a  star  member,  that 
we  became  acquainted;  but  from  that  time,  some  thirty 
years  ago,  our  friendship  grew  apace  until  it  ripened  into 
an  intimacy  which  only  death  could  sever.  But,  though 
the  memory  of  our  mutual  relations  is  dear  to  me,  I 
claim  no  preference  in  Mr.  Putnam's  choice  of  friends, 
for  I  am  well  aware  that  he  had  older  and  more  valuable 
friends  to  whom  he  was  closely  bound,  of  some  of  whom 
it  will  be  my  pleasure  to  speak  later.  Besides  his  social 
nature,  high  ethical  sense,  fine  tact,  and,  more  than  all, 
generous  appreciation  of  all  that  was  good  in  others, 
made  him  the  idol  of  refined  society,  and  must  have 
engendered  many  strong  bonds  of  friendship  of  which  I 
could  have  no  knowledge.  But,  while  he  was  a  favorite, 
while  few  social  functions  among  his  friends  were  deemed 
complete  without  his  presence,  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  his  circle  of  intimates  was  choice  rather  than 
extensive. 

"  Although  deep  religious  sentiment,  seriousness,  love 
of  truth,  hatred  of  hypocrisy,  and  shams  were  the  founda- 
tion of  his  moral  character,  there  was  nothing  of  a  bigot 
in  its  make  up.  Tolerant  of  the  opinions  of  others,  he 
was  ever  ready  to  admit  and  acknowledge  the  good  in  all. 

341 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

This  natural  sweetness  of  temper  and  buoyancy  of  spirits 
were  ever  ready  to  bring  life  and  animation  into  the 
company  unless  oppressed  with  that  physical  suffering 
to  which  he  seems  to  have  been  a  frequent  victim;  but 
even  then  the  stimulus  of  a  witty  allusion  or  a  suggestion 
from  a  favorite  author  would  cause  them  to  expand  into 
the  natural  florescence  of  their  abundant  elasticity. 

"  I  recall  one  pleasant  instance  of  his  never-failing 
ready  wit.  A  number  of  society  people  had  been  invited 
to  a  house-warming  at  the  formal  opening  of  the  Falcon- 
wood  Club,  Mr.  Putnam  being  one  of  the  guests.  On  the 
way  down  by  the  steamer  he  lost  his  hat.  When  later 
we  were  assembled  round  the  festal  board  he  was  called 
on  for  a  speech ;  he  began  to  make  excuses,  alleging  total 
lack  of  preparation,  unexpectedness,  and  so  forth,  to 
which  the  irrepressible  Joseph  Warren  jokingly  objected, 
declaring  that  this  could  not  be  true,  since  he  himself 
had  written  the  speech  for  him,  and  that  he  must  have 
it  in  his  pocket.  Quick  as  thought,  Mr.  Putnam  ex- 
claimed :  "  Why,  I  lost  it ;  it  was  in  my  hat  when  it  blew 
off."  He  then  went  on  to  address  us,  and  those 
acquainted  with  his  ready  eloquence  need  not  be  told  that 
his  witty  and  entertaining  speech,  in  which  he  did  not 
spare  his  friend  Warren,  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  that 
hilarious  company. 

"While  always  entertaining,  it  was,  perhaps,  in  our 
Shakespeare  Club  that  our  friend  displayed  one  of  his 
brightest  sides.  He  took  Shakespeare  seriously,  loving 
him  most  in  his  sublime  parts,  or  those  which  indicated 
the  profundity  of  his  insight  into  human  nature.  In  later 
years  he  was  fond  of  reciting  Ulysses'  speech  to  Achilles 
in  *Troilus  and  Cressida.'  Perhaps  he  fancied  in  it  an 
adaptation  to  his  own  life,  as  I  confess  it  fits  mine,  and 
may  have  meaning  to  others  of  advanced  years  with  un- 
fulfilled ambitions  and  lofty  aims.  I  quote  the  passage 
because  he  loved  it  so : 

342 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY  CITIZENS 

'  Time  hath,  my  lord,  a  wallet  at  his  back, 
Wherein  he  puts  alms  for  oblivion, 
A  great-sized  monster  of  ingratitudes: 
Those  scraps  are  good  deeds  past:  which  are  devour'd 
As  fast  as  they  are  made,  forgot  as  soon 
As  done:     Perseverance,  dear  my  lord. 
Keeps  honor  bright:    To  have  done  is  to  hang 
Quite  out  of  fashion,  like  a  rusty  mail 
In  monumental  mockery.    Take  the  instant  way; 
For  honor  travels  in  a  strait  so  narrow. 
Where  one  but  goes  abreast:  keep  then  the  path; 
For  emulation  hath  a  thousand  sons. 
That  one  by  one  pursue:  if  you  give  way. 
Or  hedge  aside  from  the  direct  forthright. 
Like  to  an  enter'd  tide  they  all  rush  by. 
And  leave  you  hindmost; — 
Or,  like  a  gallant  horse  fallen  in  first  rank, 
Die  there  for  pavement  to  the  abject  rear, 
O'er-run    and    trampled   on:      Then    what   they   do   in 

present, 
Though  less  than  yours  in  past,  must  o'ertop  yours: 
For  time  is  like  a  fashionable  host. 
That  slightly  shakes  his  parting  guest  by  the  hand; 
And  with  his  arms  out-stretch'd,  as  he  would  fly. 
Grasps  in  the  comer:     Welcome  ever  smiles. 
And  farewell  goes  out  sighing.    O,  let  not  virtue  seek 
Remuneration  for  the  thing  it  was; 
For  beauty,  wit. 

High  birth,  vigor  of  bone,  desert  in  service. 
Love,  friendship,  charity,  are  subjects  all 
To  envious  and  calumniating  time. 
One  touch  of  nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin, — 
That  all,  with  one  consent,  praise  new-born  gawds, 
Though  they  are  made  and  moulded  of  things  past; 
And  give  to  dust,  that  is  a  little  gilt. 
More  laud  than  gilt  o'er-dusted.' 

343 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

"  Among  the  friends  of  Mr.  Putnam  with  whom  I  was 
personally  acquainted  were  Messrs.  Fillmore,  Haven, 
Hall,  Sprague,  and  Sherman  Rogers.  I  will  not  trust 
myself  to  speak  of  the  ladies.  The  apparent  physical 
delicacy  of  his  slender  figure  often  gave  his  friends  solici- 
tude. One  instance  I  recall.  I  think  it  was  at  Mr.  E.  C. 
Sprague's  house  that  some  of  these  gentlemen  met  for  a 
farewell  gathering  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  Havre 
de  Grace,  where  he  had  been  appointed  consul,  that  one 
of  his  friends  (Haven)  remarked  after  he  was  gone: 
'  Dear  Putnam,  we  shall  probably  never  see  him  again.' 
Yet  the  irony  of  fate  willed  that  he  should  see  them  all 
in  their  graves. 

"  He  must  have  had  a  very  marked  affection  for  Mr. 
Haven ;  at  least,  he  cherished  his  memory  greatly,  and  I 
am  sure  from  the  talks  we  had  in  my  studio  that  he  had 
the  highest  respect  for  his  character  and  talents.  I  had 
an  unfinished  portrait  of  Mr.  Haven  in  my  room  which 
he  admired  very  much,  as  it  was  a  very  good  likeness, 
though  painted  from  the  corpse.  This  he  requested  me 
to  let  him  have  to  keep  in  his  study  while  he  lived.  As 
it  is  no  longer  wanted  for  that  purpose  I  shall  be  pleased 
to  have  it  go  to  this  society,  as  I  think  it  far  better  than 
the  one  now  there. 

"  I  have  alluded  to  Mr.  Putnam's  lack  of  interest  in 
painting.  This,  I  think,  rose  in  part  from  defective  vision 
in  his  latest  years;  perhaps,  also,  his  absorption  in  his 
business  and  kindred  studies  had  prevented  his  attention 
being  called  to  it.  I  remember  that  while  I  was  his  guest 
in  Brussels,  where  he  had  invited  me  to  visit  him  when  I 
was  staying  in  Paris  with  my  family,  I  proposed  a  visit 
to  the  art  galleries.  He  had  not  been  there  before,  and  was 
much  interested,  regretting  that  he  had  neglected  to  visit 
them.  Especially  was  he  interested  in  the  Wirtz  collec- 
tion, that  melange  of  artistic  vagaries  so  well  calculated 
to  cast  their  fearful  weird  over  the  sensitive  beholder. 

344 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY   CITIZENS 

"  But,  though  his  interest  in  pictorial  art  was  limited, 
his  love  of  poetry  and  the  higher  forms  of  literature  was 
boundless.  No  touch  of  the  poet's  fancy  was  too  fine  for 
his  exquisite  sense,  no  shade  too  elusive  to  escape  his 
sympathetic  nature.  As  he  loved  Shakespeare,  so  he 
revelled  in  Spencer  and  Shelley,  and  no  beauty  of  diction 
escaped  his  critical  acumen. 

"  At  all  times  a  delightful  companion,  he  always 
brought  out  the  best  that  was  in  me.  May  not  this  fine 
tact  be  one  of  the  secrets  of  the  charming  conversational 
powers  of  which  he  was  a  past  master? 

•'  Mr.  Putnam's  last  visit  to  my  studio  was  on  the 
afternoon  before  the  Angel  of  Death  touched  him  with 
his  wing;  he  seemed  tired  and  feeble,  but,  after  a  slight 
restorative,  his  spirits  rose  to  their  usual  tone,  and  I  had 
no  reason  to  fear  that  I  should  never  again  hear  the 
sound  of  his  familiar  and  ever-welcome  footfalls  ap- 
proaching my  studio  door. 

"  Though  I  think  Mr.  Putnam's  orthodoxy  would  have 
satisfied  even  John  Knox  himself  at  least  in  essentials, 
his  broad  mind  could  not  be  bounded  within  the  ironclad 
precincts  that  enclose  error  as  well  as  truth.  He  was  a 
liberal  thinker,  willing  to  discuss  the  difficulties  which 
science  has  put  in  the  way  of  that  simplicity  of  faith 
which  all  regret  the  loss  of,  and  which  will  ever  trouble 
the  intelligent  believer.  Immortality  seemed  to  fill  him 
with  dread,  the  idea  of  living  forever  was  associated  with 
a  never  ceasing  activity,  and  what  he  most  desired  was 
rest.  These  were  the  promptings  of  a  feeble  frame,  which 
confined  a  glorious  spirit.  None  knows  anything  of  a 
future  life  beyond  what  Christ  has  told  us ;  but  though  he 
has  left  us  the  assurance  that  in  his  Father's  house  are 
many  mansions  we  are  left  in  ignorance  of  their  nature. 
Of  one  thing  we  may  be  reasonably  sure ;  the  influence  of 
a  good  life  will  be  felt  till  time  shall  be  no  more. 

"  Whatever  be  the  nature  of  his  spirit  life,  whether 

345 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

conscious  of  his  mortal  existence  and  of  remaining 
friends,  or  translated  into  an  infinite  of  blissful  oblivion 
beyond  the  conception  of  our  limited  understanding  or 
farthest  reaches  of  imagination  —  in  the  hearts  of  his 
friends  his  memory  will  be  everlasting." 

Though  I  received  substantial  proof  of  friendly  regard 
from  that  distinguished  member  of  the  bar,  Judge  J.  M. 
Smith,  who  had  been  at  one  time  my  brother-in-law's 
partner,  I  cannot  lay  claim  to  an  intimacy  which  would 
justify  treating  him  as  an  equal.  There  was  in  his 
manner,  however  friendly,  a  certain  dignity  which 
seemed  to  forbid  familiarity.  I  might  joke  with  Mr. 
Haven,  Mr.  Rogers,  nay  even  with  Mr.  Fillmore,  but,  not- 
withstanding his  lack  of  inches  in  height,  I  could  as  easily 
have  ventured  such  freedom  with  the  Pope  of  Rome  as 
with  Judge  Smith.  His  Christian  character  found  vent  in 
liberality  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  most  useful  and  devoted  adherents,  and  his  recogni- 
tion of  the  importance  of  art  culture  took  concrete  form 
in  a  donation  while  living  of  $5,000  to  the  Buffalo  Fine 
Arts  Academy. 

The  Buffalo  Fine  Arts  Academy  was  the  outcome  of 
the  need  felt  by  some  resident  artists  of  a  public  institu- 
tion where  examples  of  good  art  might  be  available,  not 
only  for  the  students'  benefit,  but  as  a  means  of  elevating 
the  standard  of  art  among  our  citizens.  This  required 
money ;  rooms  must  be  secured  and  furnished ;  transporta- 
tion, insurance,  and  labor  were  items  that  must  be  met 
with  cash.  An  exhibition  conducted  by  the  Young 
Men's  Association  had  awakened  public  interest,  and  yet, 
but  for  the  collapse  of  Mr.  Humphrey's  Rochester  ven- 
ture, there  was  reason  to  fear  that  the  sanguine  hopes  of 
the  projectors  might  have  ended  in  Spanish  castles. 

I  do  not  here  intend  to  repeat  the  story  of  the  incep- 

346 


REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY  CITIZENS 

tion  and  early  struggles  of  the  Buffalo  Fine  Arts 
Academy,  now,  thanks  to  later  munificence,  one  of  the 
proudest  monuments  of  advanced  American  intellectual 
culture,  which  has  so  truthfully  been  told  in  Mr.  Chapin's 
valuable  booklet,  but  I  desire  to  acknowledge  my  debt 
due  to  some  without  whose  practical  aid  failure  must 
have  resulted. 

Although  it  is  difficult  to  differentiate  between  these 
friends  who  upheld  my  arms  I  may,  without  prejudice 
to  others,  place  Mr.  John  Allen,  our  treasurer,  at  the  head 
of  the  list.  A  noble  hearted  man  was  John  Allen. 
Always  responsive  to  the  calls  for  charity  and  the  deeds 
of  benevolent  institutions,  there  were  few  laudable  efforts 
in  behalf  of  the  general  good  of  the  city  that  had  not  felt 
the  support  which  his  gentle  heart  and  public  spirit 
prompted;  and  many  there  were  who  sincerely  deplored 
his  early  death. 

The  names  of  the  thirteen  gentlemen  whose  money 
gave  birth  to  the  infant  enterprise  and  those  of  their  suc- 
cessors in  liberality  are  securely  embalmed  in  the  annals 
of  the  Academy;  my  own  endeavors  are  also  sufficiently 
recorded,  but  the  aid  and  encouragement  I  received  from 
Mr.  Henry  Richmond,  and  especially  from  Joseph  War- 
ren, ever  ready  with  his  wise  counsel  and  influence,  and 
William  G.  Fargo,  whose  liberality  facilitated  transporta- 
tion, are  all  deserving  of  grateful  remembrance.  Last, 
though  not  least,  is  my  gratitude  due  to  the  daily  press, 
which  so  ably  and  generously  seconded  my  efforts. 

In  looking  back  on  the  Academy's  early  struggles,  the 
sturdy  form  of  Captain  Dorr  looms  up  in  the  misty  vista. 
I  recall  his  never-ceasing  material  aid.  Did  I  need  men 
to  hang  pictures  while  arranging  them  for  exhibition,  his 
men  would  come  to  my  aid  free  of  expense  to  the 
Academy,  for  the  running  expenses  of  the  gallery  were 
at  all  times  the  crucial  conundrum.  But  Captain  Dorr 
was  altruistic  to  the  backbone;  it  seemed  as  if  he  only 

347 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

lived  to  be  of  use  to  others.  Patriotic  to  the  last  degree, 
he  did  not  spare  his  services  during  the  dreary  days  of 
our  Civil  War,  nor  was  there  any  public  effort  for  the 
general  good  that  did  not  feel  his  lifting  hand. 

He  represented  the  best  type  of  the  American  sailor. 
Lack  of  early  advantages  had  been  amply  supplied  by 
sterling  common  sense,  experience,  and  diligence.  No 
one  in  our  city  was  more  respected.  In  a  sense,  he  was 
what  is  called  a  "  character,"  by  which  I  suppose  is 
understood  something  out  of  the  common,  but  his  eccen- 
tricities, if  so  they  might  be  called,  were  nearly  always 
the  results  of  his  good  heart.  He  never  could  see  suffer- 
ing or  distress  without  wishing  to  ameliorate  them.  Gen- 
erous to  a  fault,  and  hospitable  without  bounds,  he  may 
almost  be  said  to  have  kept  open  house.  The  following 
anecdote  fairly  illustrates  these  characteristics: 

Meeting  Mr.  James  O.  Putnam  and  myself  in  the 
street,  he  invited  us  both  to  a  noon  dinner,  "  pot-luck  " 
he  called  it.  After  our  acceptance,  he  asked  me  to 
accompany  Mr.  Putnam  to  the  house,  saying  that  he 
was  obliged  to  go  to  the  post-office,  but  would  be  at 
home  ahead  of  us,  as  he  was  driving.  On  reaching  the 
house,  we  found  he  had  not  arrived,  but  we  were 
hospitably  received  by  Mrs.  Dorr.  It  was  full  half  an 
hour  before  he  came,  when  he  apologized  for  the  delay 
by  saying  that  he  met  a  lady  just  as  he  was  leaving  the 
post-office  who  was  lamenting  that  she  would  be  late 
for  a  train  to  take  her  home,  etc.,  etc.  "  Get  right  into 
my  buggy,  madam,  and  I'll  soon  take  you  there."  That 
was  the  reason  why  he  was  late  for  our  pot-luck,  which 
we  found  consisted  of  roast  mallard  duck  and  the  usual 
accompaniments  of  a  well-ordered  dinner. 

Another  man  to  whom  I  was  much  bound  was  the 
late  Dr.  Thomas  T.  Rochester,  than  whom  Buffalo  never 
had  a  nobler  citizen.  His  open  nature  left  nothing  for 
the   critic's   scalpel;   always   outspoken    and   sometimes 

343 


REMINISCENCES  OF  EARLY   CITIZENS 

severe  in  speaking  his  mind,  there  dwelt  within  as  soft 
a  heart  and  generous  a  nature  as  ever  was  given  man  to 
bear.  Professionally  at  the  head  of  his  contemporaries, 
there  was  no  arrogance  in  his  manner  or  language,  which 
was  always  simple  and  direct,  though  his  condemnation 
of  what  he  looked  upon  as  irregularity  and  quackery  was 
unmistakable  and  uncompromising. 

For  several  years  he  served  as  president  of  the 
Buffalo  Fine  Arts  Academy  and  gave  his  personal  aid 
and  attention  to  its  interests  with  his  accustomed  energy 
in  all  that  he  undertook,  giving  me  most  valuable  and 
effectual  support  in  my  endeavors  to  keep  up  the 
character  of  the  institution. 

Though  in  this  sketch  my  object  is  to  pay  a  tribute 
of  gratitude  to  his  memory  for  his  aid  in  behalf  of  the 
B.  F.  A.  A.,  and  especially  for  his  devoted  professional 
services  to  my  family,  as  well  as  his  personal  friendship, 
I  cannot  forget  a  pleasant  evening  at  his  house,  because 
it  brings  livingly  before  me  another  friend  of  kindred 
nature  —  Sanford  Eastman,  of  sacred  memory. 

Dr.  Eastman  had  made  arrangements  to  move  to 
California,  hoping  its  climate  would  prolong  his  life, 
which  was  threatened  by  consumption.  Mr.  Joseph 
Warren,  ever  ready  to  give  a  helping  hand,  with  Dr. 
Rochester  and  other  friends,  thought  this  an  opportune 
time  to  tender  him  a  testimonial  in  his  honor.  This  was 
to  take  the  form  of  a  watch  and  chain,  and  it  became  my 
privilege  to  solicit  the  necessary  funds.  It  was  thought 
that  $275  might  suffice  for  this,  but  at  Mr.  Warren's  sug- 
gestion, $1,000  besides,  in  cash,  would  come  handy,  and 
he  thought  it  could  be  easily  subscribed.  Buffalo  was 
not  as  rich  then  as  now,  and  we  had  to  be  modest  in  our 
requests.  I  went  round  among  his  friends,  and  it  took 
but  a  few  hours  to  make  up  the  sum  required,  the  con- 
tributors being  mostly  his  brother  physicians,  two  or 
three  of  his  wealthier  patients  being  privileged  to  add 

349 


FROM    FORECASTLE    TO    ACADEMY 

their  mite.  The  presentation  was  at  Dr.  Rochester's 
house,  whither  we  had  been  invited  for  the  evening  to 
give  our  friend  a  send-off.  I  had  procured  a  thousand 
dollar  greenback,  which  I  folded  small  and  put  inside 
the  case  of  the  watch,  a  fine  Jorgenson.  At  the  presenta- 
tion, amid  the  social  and  jovial  company,  nothing  was 
said  of  the  money,  and  so  the  dear  doctor,  while  the 
whole  was  a  great  surprise  to  him  and  greatly  gratifying, 
was  left  in  ignorance  of  his  good  fortune  till  I  informed 
him  of  it  on  our  way  home.  He  then  told  me  that  it 
cam€  in  good  time  for  him,  as  that  very  day  he  had 
been  informed  that  a  thousand  of  his  had  gone  up  in 
the  Chicago  smoke,  being  invested  in  one  of  the  insurance 
companies.  It  was  not  many  years  after  that  when 
Death  claimed  his  victim  in  his  California  home,  and  a 
few  years  later  he  was  followed  by  his  friend;  but  the 
names  of  Eastman  and  Rochester  shall  long  stand  for 
what  is  noble  and  good  in  the  City  of  Buffalo. 

The  Honorable  William  P.  Letchworth  is  another  to 
whom  my  grateful  remembrance  is  due,  not  only  for  his 
valuable  aid  in  the  affairs  of  the  Buffalo  Fine  Arts 
Academy,  of  which  for  several  years  he  was  the  president, 
but  also  for  his  friendship  to  me  in  our  private  relations. 
I  remember  with  pleasure  some  delightful  house  parties 
at  Glen  Iris,  his  hospitable  home,  and  the  choice  spirits 
I  met  there.  Among  others  I  recall  two  beautiful  young 
women,  whom,  on  account  of  their  glowing,  rosy  cheeks 
and  sweetness  of  character,  we  called  the  "  Detroit  Reds." 
One  of  them  became  the  wife  of  one  whose 
brilliant  talents,  whether  in  prose  or  verse,  had  already 
begun  to  shed  luster  on  the  city  of  his  adoption,  and 
whose  lovely  character  and  gentle  ways  made  him  the 
idol  of  our  society.  It  was  here  they  met  and  here  they 
plighted  their  youthful  troth. 

O !  happy  days,  of  days  the  best. 
When  crescent  Nature  claims  her  rest, 

350 


REMINISCENCES  OF   EARLY    CITIZENS 

And  lovers  sigh  their  tender  vows. 
Beneath  the  dome  of  pendant  boughs, 
In  hidden  nooks  while  daylight  fades. 
And  love  confess  in  sylvan  shades, 
When  maples  blush,  and  chestnuts  fall. 
And  woodland  perfume  pervades  all, 
O !    Day  of  Joy,  O !  Hour  of  Bliss, 
When  first  we  'changed  our  mutual  kiss. 

Mr.  Letchworth  needs  not  my  pen  to  eulogize  his 
benevolent  altruism ;  his  fame  securely  rests  upon  "  the 
works  that  follow  him."  His  memory  lives  in  his  labors 
in  behalf  of  the  unfortunate,  as  the  moving  spirit  of  the 
State  Commission  of  Charities  and  Correction,  and  in 
the  effectual  aid  rendered  to  Dr.  Frederick  Peterson  in 
establishing  that  model  institution  for  the  care  of 
epileptics,  the  Craig  Colony;  and  also  in  his  invaluable, 
exhaustive  researches  on  these  and  kindred  subjects,  in 
printed  form. 

His  private  life  is  simple,  unostentatious,  and  wholly 
beyond  reproach ;  in  a  word,  a  model  gentleman. 

Memory  brings  up  many  more,  both  men  and  women, 
to  whom  I  stand  indebted  to  for  the  pleasant  life,  now 
soon  to  close,  which,  during  the  last  sixty  years,  I  have 
spent  in  this  beloved  city,  but  my  tale  is  already  extended 
far  beyond  my  original  intention.  I  will,  therefore,  close 
these  recollections  with  a  tribute  to  a  gentleman  whose 
name  for  more  than  half  a  century  has  stood  for  every- 
thing good  and  worthy  of  respect. 

Good  old  Dr.  Shelton!  Methinks  I  see  his  portly 
figure,  as  with  his  hands  behind  his  back  he  slowly 
promenades  about  his  dearly  beloved  St.  Paul's,  little 
dreaming  that  the  stones  he  walked  on  should  one  day 
bear  his  name.  Shelton  Square  we  call  it  now.  Ah!  a 
rare  man  was  the  doctor.  Brusque,  direct,  simple  —  and 
sometimes  even  rude  in  his  address  —  he  was  still  one 

351 


FROM  FORECASTLE  TO  ACADEMY 

of  those  bright  souls  for  which  it  seems  to  me  the  pearly 
gates  must  ever  stand  wide  open.  "  Enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  Lord  "  were  surely  meant  for  such.  This,  too, 
I  think  would  be  the  consensus  judgment  of  all  wha 
knew  him  well. 

Circumscribed  as  he  may  have  been  in  his  theology 
theoretically,  in  practice  he  was  really  one  of  the  broadest 
men  that  ever  cassock  covered.  He  might  refuse  to 
designate  his  neighbor's  Presbyterian  edifice  by  name  of 
church,  calling  it  their  place  of  worship,  because  he 
believed  in  the  Divine  right  of  his  own,  but  personal 
hatred  for  anything  but  evil  was  utterly  foreign  to  his 
charitable  heart. 

I  painted  two  portraits  of  him,  and  he  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  sittings.  Once  when  speaking  of  his  younger 
days  he  told  the  following,  being  part  of  his  ministerial 
experience.  We  were  talking  about  a  portrait  by  Mr. 
Tuttle.  I  give  his  own  words  as  near  as  I  can  recall 
them : 

"  The  first  thing  that  Mr.  Tuttle  said  after  he  began 
was :  '  Mr.  Shelton,  I  don't  believe  one  word  of  the 
Bible.'  I  was  greatly  shocked,  but,  believing  that  he 
spoke  through  ignorance,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  it  was 
my  duty  to  try  to  convert  him.  I  did  my  best  to  show 
him  his  error,  and  he  asked  me  to  lend  him  books  to 
read.  I  finally  succeeded  in  changing  his  view  and  to 
accept  the  church's  doctrine,  but,"  here  with  an  expres- 
sion of  disgust,  "  the  fellow  went  and  joined  the 
Presbyterians." 

My  self-imposed  task  is  ended.  Looking  back,  I  can 
see  much  that  might  have  been  and  is  not.  But  for  my 
father's  early  death,  I  might  have  been  a  bishop,  might 
have  been  a  pastor  in  some  country  parish  in  my  native 
land;  more  likely  a  magister  in  some  seat  of  learning,  or 
at  least  a  teacher  in  a  public  school,  unless  my  stars  had 
conjuncted  towards  a  professorship   in  Upsala.     These 

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REMINISCENCES   OF   EARLY  CITZIENS 

are  indeed  might-have-beens.  I  might  have  been,  had  I 
so  willed,  an  old  retired  sea  captain ;  I  love  to  think  that 
I  might  have  been  a  better  painter  had  I  had  the  early 
training  needed  to  become  one.  Ambition  I  had,  high 
standard  was  mine,  too  high,  perhaps,  for  my  limited 
powers.  In  one  thing,  however,  I  have  not  failed ;  I  have 
not  failed  in  my  loyalty  to  the  pure,  the  good,  the 
beautiful  in  Art. 

THE    END 


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